Continental Divide
by Sapphire5
Summary: Finished. Series #4
1. Hitting the Trail

Disclaimer: All characters affiliated with _JQ: TRA _are owned by Hanna Barbara. No infringement of copyrights are intended. This is a work of fiction written by a fan for other fans' enjoyment. No money was made off of this fic.

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Warnings: Overall Rating of PG. Contains mild language, and some mature themes, and mild violence. (Honestly, there isn't anything worse than what you might find in a Nancy Drew or Hardy Boys mystery.)

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A Note From the Author: The national park in this story is a fictional place based loosely on Glacier National Park. While I love the beauty and majesty of Glacier, I wanted the park in my story to be less pristine with a backcountry more open to human visitation. Keep this national park in the northern Rockies, roughly in western Montana, and voile, you have the fictional Mountain Wilderness National Park. ~Sapphire

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The Real Adventures of Jonny Quest

Continental Divide

By: Sapphire

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Chapter One: Hitting the Trail

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…...

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July 2000

Location: Mountain Wilderness National Park, Montana

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Timetable: Day One

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"Hey, Dad?" eighteen-year-old Jessica Bannon said as she rounded the side of her dad's brand-new, red SUV.

"Yeah, Ponchita?" her father, Race Bannon, answered.

"I just wanted to say thank-you for letting me bring Maggie on our father/daughter trip. I know this is supposed to be a one on one bonding thing, but I'm really worried about Maggie. She spends too much time up on the catwalk of the lighthouse, alone. Something is bothering her and she won't talk about it. I thought I could get her to open up out here away from everyone else."

"Benton said something like that, too. Seemed to think there was good reason to be concerned. He said it might do her good to have a change of scenery and I offered to take her with long before you asked me, Jess," Race told his daughter. Jessie smiled broadly.

"You're the best, Dad," she said, flashing her father an appreciative smile. Race shrugged.

"It's my job to take care of the family."

"This goes above and beyond taking care of the family," Jessie told him. "Wait, here she comes," Jessie warned her father as a tall girl with shoulder length, sandy brown hair and slate blue eyes jogged toward them.

"I talked to the lodge manager. She said the lost key is no big deal. They'll just replace the locks, and she won't charge me. Someone found my wallet and ID and turned them in, but all my cash is gone, and so are the credit cards. I called Uncle Benton and he said he'd take care of it for me. He told me to just have fun on our trip and he'd see us when we got back to Rockport," Maggie filled them in. Race nodded, satisfied that things were properly taken care of.

"So are we ready to go hit the trails?" Jessie asked, still leaning against the side of the SUV. Maggie nodded affirmatively. "Then let's get going." Jessie and Maggie climbed into the backseat of the SUV, and Race pulled out of the lodge parking lot onto the highway heading into the park.

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…...

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Race parked the SUV in the tourist parking lot at the trail head and all three of them got out of the vehicle. "You ladies ready for a week of wilderness camping?" Race asked.

"Am I ever!" Jessie said enthusiastically.

"You bet," Maggie said, her own enthusiasm evident.

"Good," Race replied. "Now, grab all your gear, don't forget anything. We are not coming back until the week is up. Not for anything." Jessie and Maggie nodded. Pulling hiking frames and packs from the SUV, Jessie and Maggie double checked their supplies one last time before struggling into the heavy packs.

"You sure you two can handle it?" Race asked again.

"We're not wimps," Maggie said. "We can handle it. We've both done stuff like this before."

"Yeah, Dad," Jessie said. "So, how far is the first camp?"

"Tonight's camp is just on the other side of the pass, right on the Continental Divide. We're fresh, the terrain isn't too harsh, so I figure we'll make it by five," Race said.

"What are we waiting for?" Jessie asked. "Let's get moving." She started out on the trail. Race and Maggie followed after her.

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…...

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Race, Jessie, and Maggie kept up a steady stream of conversation as they hiked along the winding trial. The rangers had warned them there had been an unusual number of bear sightings lately. None of them wanted to run into an angry grizzly, or take one by surprise. Talking would warn wildlife to their presence before they would even know the wild animals were there.

The trail was easy to hike and the small group moved along at a good pace. With few obstacles or hazards along the way, they were able to take in much of their surroundings. Despite their conversation, wildlife sightings were abundant; they saw many of the park's chirping little ground squirrels. Some were so accustomed to tourists they would run around the legs of the people passing by. One decided to take a ride on the toe of Jessie's hiking boot. When she saw her passenger, she dumped him off into the bright foliage beside the trail. The small creature shook a fist at her in a scolding manner, and Maggie laughed at the sight. A fox ran across the trial ahead of them, and they saw several elk off in the distance. Birds were everywhere, and several rabbits were startled as they passed by.

By four o'clock they had made it through the pass and to the first campsite. Maggie started a fire and made supper that night while Race and Jessie pitched the tents and filtered water for drinking. Jessie helped Maggie do the dishes once they had finished eating while Race hung the food packs up in a tree so no animals could get at them. Afterward, they sat around the campfire and relaxed.

"We're on the other side of the pass now," Race was telling the girls when they were discussing plans for the next day, "That means we're cut off from civilization. We have to be more alert to our surroundings than we were today. We have to watch the weather, watch where we're going, and make sure we don't take any unnecessary risks. Mistakes can cost us our lives."

"Is this supposed to be a pep talk?" Maggie said with a laugh. "It's not very peppy." Jessie laughed with her.

"No, it's a warning," Race answered her. "Be careful, and look out for each other." The girls nodded.

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Timetable: Day Two

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The next day, Jessie, Race, and Maggie were up with the sun. They managed to get under way in a half hour, eating a breakfast of energy bars as they began the day's hike. Race planned to reach a campsite located halfway up the slope of the mountain that night. With the winding trail, more rugged terrain, and the steady uphill hike, he figured they should reach it around six o'clock that evening, despite the early start and shorter distance than the previous day.

Sometime after midday, they came to a boulder field. The trail was gravelly and there were all kids of huge rocks and eroded washouts littering the way, making it difficult for footing and maneuvering. Maggie and Jessie found themselves slipping often, and even Race, who seemed born for this kind of activity, lost his balance on occasion, though he managed to keep from falling.

"Ouch!" Jessie exclaimed as she fell hard on her right knee. She pulled herself up and sat on a convenient rock to examine the damage. "It hurts, and it's bleeding, too."

"Here, let me fix that up," Maggie said. "I have my trusty first aid kit right here. I might as well put some of my recent training to use. I didn't take those classes for nothing."

"Thanks, Maggie," Jessie said while Maggie began to patch up her scrape. Race stood by and watched Maggie work with capable hands. Since they were already stopped, they stayed for a water break and to rest before starting out again.

As soon as they arrived at camp that evening, Maggie and Jessie dropped their packs in the clearing and found a nice grassy spot to stretch their tired muscles. It felt wonderful to feel them relax after each stretch. Race gathered wood in the mean time and got a nice fire started. When the girls finished stretching, they got to work and helped Race put camp in order. That night, they ate in silence, too tired to talk. Jessie and Race washed up the dishes, then they all sat around lazily by the fire. As it grew late, they put it out, and turned in for the night.

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Race awoke to a strange sound. He opened his eyes to pitch darkness. Checking his watch, he couldn't begin to guess what had awakened him at two a.m. He strained his ears, listening carefully the way Intelligence One had trained him, and he heard something.

It wasn't very loud, it wasn't noisy, it was just so unusual that it had disturbed his sleep. Listening carefully, he tried to determine what the sound was. Something brushed against the side of the tent. He stilled his breath, listening more intently. An animal was outside, a large one, and he could hear it breathing on the other side of the thin Nylon barrier.

The animal snorted a few times, and Race guessed it was probably a bear. The bear moved off away from the tents, interested in something else. A minute later, he could hear pots and pans clanging together. The bear was after the food packs. He had hung the tin pails and things from the side of the packs so they would clang together if the packs were to be disturbed.

"What the heck is that?!" he could hear one of the girls exclaim from the other tent.

"I don't know!" he heard the other reply. Then Race could hear a large creature crashing through the woods, traveling away from the camp. He could hear the other tent being zipped open, and he grabbed his flashlight and got up as well.

"It was a bear, I think," Race told the girls who were standing there in thermal underwear in the cold night air. "It was walking around my tent a while ago."

"Sure was," Jessie said shining her flashlight down at the ground over some paw prints. "Big one, too."

"Grizzly," Race said. "Better go check on the food packs. The clanking sound you heard was my animal alarm. It scared the bear away." Race headed for the tree where the food packs were strung up above the ground.

"Animal alarm?" Jessie asked Maggie with a raised eyebrow. "I guess my mom was right. Men are just little boys trapped in oversized bodies." Maggie laughed and the two girls ran to catch up to Race. Relief was mutual when they saw that nothing was harmed. Race checked the ropes holding the packs in the air to make sure they were still secure. Jessie and Maggie walked around the camp, making sure nothing else was disturbed. When all was well, they went back to bed.

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Timetable: Day Three

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The campers slept in late. When they did get up, they were anxious to get moving. It wasn't long before they were on their way. The trail they followed would lead them up and around Trapper Mountain. This mountain was the center point of a cluster of high peaks and would have breathtaking views of the surrounding peaks.

The trail took them above the tree line before lunch. On one side of the trail, the mountainside rose steep and high above them. On the other side, the mountainside slopped off, then dropped steeply below them, down into the trees some thirty feet below.

"Be extra careful here," Race warned. "It wouldn't be fun to fall down that cliff." They kept to the innermost edge of the trial, taking their time as they hiked along.

They stopped for a rest where the trail widened into a ledge about the size of a two car garage. Jessie and Maggie dumped their packs in a heap against the cliff wall, then took a seat on a couple of rocks near the cliff edge. Binoculars in hand, they took in the view far below them.

"Look at the river," Maggie said in awe. "It looks like a silver ribbon winding through the green valley." Jessie made a sound indicating agreement. Maggie shrugged, then panned her binoculars across the landscape, looking for any sign of wildlife.

"I think I just saw a mountain goat," Jessie said. "It's hidden by trees right now, though." Maggie continued to scan the mountainsides and the forest edges for any signs of wildlife. A wind gusted down the mountain and whipped through the trees below making them dance and sway. Between the moving branches, Maggie saw something odd.

"I saw something white," she noted aloud.

"A goat?" Jessie ventured. "A rock?"

"I don't know. I couldn't tell what it was." She looked through her binoculars again, and kept them trained on the spot she had seen it. As another gust whipped at the trees, she glimpsed it again. "I think it's a person!" she exclaimed with a gasp of surprise.

"That's impossible," Race said from behind them. "There aren't any trials down there."

"But I saw a person. Someone in a white t-shirt," Maggie repeated, absolutely certain of what she had seen.

"Where?" Jessie asked.

"Right down there," Maggie said pointing, "About twenty or thirty feet from the edge of the tree line." Jessie looked through the binoculars, and Race joined them. "Wait for the wind. The branches are in the way." They waited and sure enough, they both saw the white object.

"Are we going down there, Dad?" Jessie asked. "If it is a person, they could be hurt."

"There's no choice but to check it out," Race agreed. "Two of us will have to go down. The other needs to stay up here to watch our gear, explain what's going on if someone comes along." Maggie and Jessie looked to one another. They wanted to go down there, but they didn't know if Race would let them.

"Okay, you two can go," Race said when he saw their expressions. "Stay together and watch your backs." Race started getting out the ropes and climbing gear and setting it up while Maggie and Jessie collected things they thought would be useful to them.

Maggie attached her first aid kit, a small sheathed fishing knife, a flashlight, a compass, and the hatchet onto her belt. Then she stuffed a Swiss Army Knife into her pocket. Jessie took her own compass and utility knife, then grabbed a few rations and a canteen filled with fresh water. She hung her binoculars around her neck and they were ready to go.

Race helped them into the climbing harnesses, having finished checking and securing the rappelling rope. He flung it over the cliff, and held it out for one of the girls to take. Jessie took the cliff first. She was most experienced and could talk Maggie down the final leg of the trip if the less experienced girl should need it.

Neither had to worry. They made it down just fine. At the bottom, they freed themselves of the rope, then utilizing the compasses, set out into the trees to find the mysterious person in the white t-shirt.

"Hello!" they both called out. "Is anyone there?!" Taking their time, walking slowly, they searched over every inch of ground for the white object.

"We should be right on top of it," Jessie said. "We've walked far enough."

"Where is it? We must be so close." Maggie turned and cupped her hand to her mouth. "Hello!"

"Hellllp!" came a faint cry from the left. Jessie and Maggie both heard it and started off in that direction.

"We hear you!" Jessie called out. Several feet more through the brush and they could see the person. A minute later the girls were standing beside him. The young man appeared to be in his mid twenties, and he was lying on the ground, one foot stuck in a rotted log.

"You have to hurry and get me out. My cousin needs help bad," he said urgently with a slight southern accent.

"Don't worry, we'll get you out in no time." Jessie said trying to pull the log apart where his foot had gone through. She turned to Maggie. "We need a good strong branch to pry the log open with. That should do the trick." All the deadfall they found lying around the area either broke or couldn't be wedged into the log when they tried.

"What about one of these saplings?" Maggie asked eyeing a few slender young trees. "They should be strong, and won't break easily." Jessie nodded, and Maggie took the hatchet from its sheath and started to strip the smaller branches from the tree as it stood. Then she began to chip away at the trunk.

"What's your name?" Maggie asked while she hacked at the sapling's trunk.

"Blain Walters," he said.

"Where are you from?" Maggie asked next.

"I'm from Whitehall, Vermont. I'm a college student there. My cousin and two of our Fraternity Brothers came out here for an adventure trip. It's an adventure, all right," Blain replied, a touch of sarcasm to his last statement.

"Where's your cousin now?" Jessie asked.

"He's a long way from here. His leg is broken. We didn't see the drop. He walked right over it and fell six feet. I managed to avoid it. I had to leave him and go for help. That's when this happened," he indicated his foot.

"I got it, Jess," Maggie said as she snapped the tree the rest of the way off. It fell to the ground with a thud. Jessie got up and helped Maggie force the sapling into the crack in the log. Together, they pushed down on the sapling like a lever, prying the log open.

"I'm free," Blain said once his foot was clear of the log, and the girls let go of the sapling.

"Don't try standing yet," Maggie said. "I have to make sure your ankle isn't injured." Blain nodded. "Slowly move your leg, knee, then ankle. Tell me if it hurts."

"No pain," he answered as he moved his foot around, rotating his ankle.

"Okay. You're good to go," Maggie said.

"How far would you say your cousin is from here?" Jessie asked.

"About three hours walk," Blain said, "Maybe more."

"What about your other two fraternity brothers? Where are they?"

"We were whitewater rafting through the valley. The raft capsized. We lost all our supplies. Our guide, Steve Murphy, is missing. The four of us split up to find him, one group heading upriver, the other group downriver. We were supposed to go as far as we could, camp overnight, then meet up today. Mick and Scott will be wondering where we are," Blain said.

"Looks like we'll need to meet up with them while we're at it," Maggie said. Jessie nodded.

"We'll need supplies," Jessie said. "Let's go talk to my dad." Maggie and Jessie led Blain back to the cliff. Jessie climbed up to inform her dad of what they knew. "So, how are we going to do this?" she asked when she was finished. Race thought long and hard, an unreadable expression on his face. Jessie waited impatiently for him to say something.

"You and Maggie go with Blain and get his cousin and the others," Race said letting out his breath slowly. "Bring them back here. I'll hike back to the trailhead and get some rescue people and meet up with you. Leave a good trail. If you aren't here when I get back, I'm coming after you."

"You're letting us go out into the wilderness alone?" Jessie said in disbelief. "That doesn't sound like you at all, Dad."

"I can't send one of you back alone to get help. It's a four day round trip if a person really pushes it. I can move faster than you two. And if I did send one of you, who's going to believe some kid? Its not my favorite choice, Jess, but it's the best one," Race told his daughter, "and I know you and Maggie can handle it."

"Thanks, Dad," Jessie said giving her dad a hug.

"Now, lets get the gear reorganized," Race said and they got down to business.

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To be continued…

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	2. Into the Wilderness

Disclaimer: Please see chapter one.

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Warnings: Overall Rating of PG.

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A Note From the Author: When I wrote this story, I had just received my certificate as a First Responder. Any and all medical and First Aid information is taken from my training and my textbooks. My certification has since expired. I am not an expert, and much has changed since then. If you are interested in any of the first aid techniques described in this story, enroll yourself in a community basic first aid course. It might be the best thing you could do- you might save a life with your new knowledge. ~Sapphire

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The Real Adventures of Jonny Quest

Continental Divide

By: Sapphire

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Chapter Two: Into the Wilderness

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"How much farther?" Jessie asked, tired from the extra weight on her back as she, Maggie, and Blain walked through the woods.

"It can't be far now. We've been walking for nearly three hours and I know we're going in the right direction," Blain said.

"The sun's going down," Maggie said. "We have to find him before dark." She, too, was out of breath. Jessie and Race put all the provisions possible into the packs, anything Race wouldn't need, so they could relieve the marooned rafters.

"This is it," Blain said as they stepped into a small glade.

"There's no one here," Jessie said. Blain was dumbfounded.

"I'm sure this is where I left Ryan," Blain repeated confidently. "He fell from right up there." He pointed to a six foot high rock ledge. The foliage above ended abruptly at its edge, hiding the drop from unsuspecting individuals. Jessie knelt, inspecting the ground beneath the ledge for signs of human presence. Maggie quickly scanned the ground of the rest of the glade, searching for a clue.

"Cat," she blurted suddenly.

"What?" Blain spun to look at her quizzically. Maggie pointed.

"See these tracks? See the little shadows in the dust? That's from the hind paw stepping into the imprint from the front paw. Only cats do that," Maggie explained.

"Mountain lion?" Jessie guessed. Maggie shrugged, then nodded.

"Ryan!" Blain shouted with worry. A muffled sound came from somewhere nearby. They listened carefully for a minute and heard it a second time; this time they heard it more clearly.

"In here," a voice said. Blain and Jessie followed it to the base of the ledge. There was an opening in the bedrock that jutted out of the ground. A dirty face stared back at them.

"I can't believe I didn't see him," Jessie mentally kicked herself. She'd been studying the ground not more than ten feet from him. She and Maggie shed their packs, then joined Blain to help Ryan. Ryan had managed to wedge himself into the opening and block it with a rock. The small rescue party was horrified by the huge scratches etched into that rock, and around the opening. They quickly pulled him out, careful of his broken leg.

"Hurry, before it comes back," Ryan said tersely as they pulled him free. Maggie stepped back, and froze at the sound of a low, rumbling growl.

"Too late," Maggie whispered, turning around slowly. A huge tawny cat stared at her.

"Oh, hell," she heard Blain say as she slowly stood. The cat watched her every move. Shivers went up her spine, instinct telling her it was about to attack. She spied her pack on the ground only feet from her. If she could reach it, she could use it as a weapon. The only way to fend off a mountain lion attack was to fight back.

With agonizing slowness, Maggie crept toward her pack. Blain held his breath, not sure whether to watch the mountain lion, or the girl. Maggie was crazy, he thought, but there were only three more feet between her and the pack.

The mountain lion wasn't going to allow her another step. With a scream, it leapt at Maggie. Maggie dodged out of the way, but not before the cat could claw her left arm. She didn't stop to react, or even think. Her mind was focused on the pack. Snatching it from the ground, she spun to face the mountain lion. It was already in the air, coming for a second attack.

Maggie lifted the pack up and swung it hard, hitting the great predator in the side of the head, the heavily weighted pack knocking the cat to the ground. Jumping up, the animal sprang off into the woods with another scream. Maggie dropped the pack, and sank to the ground shaking. Now she could react. Now she could think. She was terrified.

Jessie was next to her in an instant. Maggie tried to smile, but couldn't manage it. Blain offered her a hand to help her up. Maggie accepted and let out a little cry of pain as he pulled. She looked, and her arm was covered in blood.

"Oh, damn," Blain breathed. "That's bad," he said, looking at the wound the mountain lion had inflicted. "Here," he took hold of her and quickly moved her near Ryan, sitting her up against the rock ledge. "Sit still. You look pale." Jessie snatched up the first aid kit and pulled out some gauze to cover the wound. Maggie took it, and pressed hard to stay the bleeding.

"Don't worry about me," Maggie said. "I can take care of it. You need to get a splint on Ryan's broken leg. I want out of here, and I want out of here now." She cast a furtive glance in the direction the mountain lion had taken. "We'll need a stretcher for Ryan, too."

"I'll take care of the stretcher," Blain volunteered. He headed for the trees on the edge of the glade, hatchet in hand.

"I can handle the splint," Jessie said. Maggie nodded, feeling lightheaded. She leaned against the rock for support. She wasn't going to faint if she could help it. Jessie noticed, and kept an eye on her as she attended to Ryan's leg.

Picking up the lengths of branches from the edge of the glade, Jessie measured them next to Ryan's lower leg and cut them to extend from his heel to his mid thigh as Maggie instructed her to. She padded the branches with t-shirts then tied them carefully and securely to Ryan's leg while Maggie talked her through it, effectively immobilizing his injured leg.

"You did a good job, Jessie," Maggie praised as her friend finished up. "I don't see any signs of shock from either of us, so things are going good under the circumstances." As she spoke, Blain returned carrying two strong, straight saplings he had cut and stripped of branches. He took the rope from the packs and stretched it back and fourth between the two saplings, then crisscrossed it back the other way. Jessie unrolled a sleeping bag and laid it over the ropes to make it more comfortable for Ryan. When it was finished, Jessie and Blain lifted Ryan off the ground and onto the makeshift stretcher as carefully as they could.

"I'm pretty sure my arm stopped bleeding now," Maggie said. "I need help wrapping it. I already lost a lot of blood, and I want to keep from losing more." Instructing Jessie, the gashes were soon securely bound, and they had devised a sling to elevate her arm. Blain helped put gear back into the packs, then he and Jessie each shouldered one.

"Give me one of the packs," Maggie protested. "You two have to carry Ryan. I can't. I should take one of the packs." Jessie and Ryan glanced at one another skeptically.

"You lost a lot of blood," Blain said.

"He's right," Jessie seconded. "If you can keep up without trouble, you can carry one of the packs, and Blain and I can take turns with the other." Maggie was hurt, but on second thought, realized it was for the best. If she passed out, Jessie and Blain couldn't carry both Ryan and her.

"Okay. You're right." Blain took the front of the stretcher and Jessie the back, and together they lifted Ryan off the ground. Maggie got up and, slowly at first, started to follow them as they headed toward the river. She felt better as she started to get going, but found herself having trouble keeping her balance. This was going to be a long trek, she knew.

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It was long after sunset when the four finally stopped for the night. They had put several good hours between themselves and the mountain lion. Jessie got a fire going, though it was difficult to do in the dark, and Blain found a spring with fresh water. He filled a pail full of it, then put it over the fire to boil. Maggie rummaged in her pack for the food supplies. The first thing she did was eat the chocolate candies out of the trail mix.

She saw Ryan eyeing it hungrily, and she shared it with him. She wondered how long it had been since he had eaten last. Blain was just as hungry as he was, and he dove into the trail mix with zeal as well. Jessie had a hand full before starting supper.

After they had eaten, Maggie removed the pail of boiling water from the fire to let it cool. In the mean time, she dug an old shirt out of the pack. Using her Swiss Army Knife, she cut the shirt into strips for a fresh supply of bandages. Leftover pieces would be used as rags to clean her wounds. Then she cut the old bandages from her arm.

A serious expression graced her face as she truly saw her injury for the first time. She had four parallel cuts, quite deep, across the upper part of her lower left arm. Worry lines crossed her forehead at the thought of possible infection. She had a big job on her hands. Opening the first aid kit, she took the antiseptic from it. She dipped a rag into the cooled water and dripped some antiseptic from the bottle onto the wet rag. She washed her wound while Blain held up a flashlight for her, and Ryan handed her things as she needed them. When she was satisfied with her work, she had Ryan and Blain wrap her arm with the strips of t-shirt she had cut. Finished, Maggie cleaned up the mess and put things away. As she did it occurred to her that Ryan might like an aspirin to help ease the pain in his leg. He accepted it gratefully.

"What's that on your forehead?" Maggie asked Ryan suddenly when she noticed a dark mark in the firelight.

"A scratch from the mountain lion. I have a few, actually," he told her.

"I had better take a look. Scratches and wounds inflicted by cats tend to fester and get infected. Especially wild cats. They have all kinds of bacteria in their claws." Maggie said as she reached for another pail of water that had recently been taken from the fire to cool.

Ryan pointed out the scratches on his hands and arms. He was scratched on his cheek and forehead as well. Maggie cleaned them thoroughly with the antiseptic. Most were barely surface scratches, but a few would have to be carefully monitored. As she finished, she gave a big yawn.

"Ditto," Jessie said in reply to the yawn. "Maybe we should all get some sleep." Maggie nodded, and Blain got up and got the second sleeping bag. He unrolled it and tossed it at the girls.

"You two can share that one. Ryan and I will use this one from the stretcher," Blain said. No one said anything else. They all got comfortable on the ground under the warm sleeping bags, and went to sleep.

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Timetable: Day Four

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All four slept late into the morning. Maggie had not slept well with her aching arm, Ryan had slept fitfully throughout the night, Ryan's restlessness had kept Blain awake for a long time, and Jessie's muscles ached enough to keep her up. It was ten o'clock by the time Maggie was dragged from her slumber by her growling stomach. She pushed the sleeping bag off of her and looked around. Jessie wasn't anywhere to be seen. Maggie guessed she had gone off into the woods somewhere for firewood. There was not much left from the night before. She got up and grabbed the pail, heading for the spring.

Ryan and Blain heard her starting a fire a little while later and woke up. They stayed under their warm sleeping bag and watched her begin breakfast. She was rather slow with only one hand. Jessie soon returned with an armload of wood and took over for Maggie. Ryan and Blain were talking quietly together behind the sleeping bag, but Blain got up shortly to help the girls.

"Maggie, Blain and I can handle breakfast. You go ahead and take care of your arm. You should probably clean it again," Jessie said as she stirred some oatmeal into boiling water.

"I should probably look at your scratches in daylight as well," Maggie said to Ryan as she started preparations for the arduous task.

"I'll clean them," Jessie offered. "We can get going sooner that way." Maggie nodded and Ryan shrugged. While Blain put things away and readied the stretcher for Ryan, Jessie finished making breakfast. After they ate Maggie cleaned her wound with the same precision she had the night before. Blain assisted her, then bound her arm tight with a fresh bandage when she was finished. Jessie sat with Ryan on the other side of the fire, giving his cuts a good cleaning.

"Jess, make sure you get the one on Ryan's forehead really well. It's kind of deep and I'm worried about infection. Jessie nodded, then carefully attended to that particular wound. Ryan watched her, looking up through long brown eyelashes.

"Your eyes are a nice shade of green," he said suddenly.

"So are yours," Jessie replied absently.

Maggie and Blain, having heard, were surreptitiously watching the two as Jessie finished cleaning Ryan's scratches. Ryan sighed and waited patiently for her to finish. Then they packed away the first aid kit and ate breakfast. After, they washed up the dishes and packed them away, refilled the canteens with clean water, put out the fire, and headed out of camp.

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It was dark and they had been walking all day. The going was slow, but they had found the river and were following it downstream in search of Mick and Scott, Blain and Ryan's friends. Blain figured they would be camped somewhere along the river, and he and Ryan had insisted they keep going until they found the two.

Ryan was sleeping on the unsteady stretcher, and Maggie figured it was better that way- he didn't feel the pain if he wasn't awake. "We have to be getting really close," Blain was saying to Jessie. "We should be able to see the light from the fire really soon, now."

"We'll keep moving," Jessie agreed reluctantly. "We're bound to come across them sooner or later." Maggie trudged on. She was feeling stronger today than the day before, but she didn't know how much longer she could keep herself going. Suddenly Blain stopped short.

"I think I see light from a fire!" he exclaimed. "Right up ahead!" The news invigorated the girls, and they pushed on with renewed strength. As they continued, the light became clearer, and they knew it was, in fact, a campfire. The rushing river eliminated the possibility of any shouts being heard from such a distance, so Maggie pulled the flashlight from her belt and began to wave it around, hoping to get someone's attention.

"I think I see someone moving up there," Jessie said.

"Someone's coming toward us," Maggie corrected as she spotted a light bobbing along in the distance.

"Hello!" came a shout.

"Scotty! Mick!" Blain shouted into the night.

"Blain! Ryan!" came a welcome answer.

"It's them!" Blain said excitedly. "We found them." Jessie and Blain put down the stretcher immediately. They couldn't carry it another step. Help was almost there.

"Guys! We were worried when you didn't show last night, and even more worried when you didn't show before dark tonight. Hey- what happened?" said a tall blond as he came to a stop among the newcomers.

"Ryan and I ran into some trouble. Scott, This is Jessie, and this is Maggie. They rescued us. Jessie's dad is getting help. We have to meet him at the trail to the east of here."

"No can do," Scott said. "Mick's foot found a squirrel hole, and it's sprained pretty bad. Ryan doesn't look good either. And her-" he indicated Maggie, "she looks about ready to fall over."

"I'm fine," Maggie assured.

"You sure don't look it," Scott countered.

"She'd have said something if she couldn't make it," Jessie told him.

"Just the same," Blain said, "She looks almost worse than Ryan." He glanced at the tall blonde. "Scott, help Maggie to camp. Jessie, you and I can manage Ryan okay, right?" Jessie nodded.

"Jessie, give Scott your pack," Ryan said, eyeing the weary red head. "I can hold Blain's pack. It'll be easier on both of you." Blain and Jessie set Ryan down, in total agreement with the suggestion. Scott shouldered the pack Jessie handed him, then reached for Maggie's arm. "Careful," Ryan warned as Scott was about to grab her injured arm, "She's hurt. Hold onto her other arm." Scott looked at Ryan, then back at Maggie. Sure enough, she had pieces of torn cloth wrapped around her lower arm. Scott heeded Ryan's warning and was careful with Maggie as they started the last leg of the long walk.

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The surprise on Mick's face was evident when the group arrived with two extra members and Ryan on a stretcher, but he let his questions wait until more important things were taken care of. Water was boiled, wounds cleaned, and one broken leg attended to. As she finished up, Maggie gave Ryan another aspirin.

"Only one from now on," she said. "We'll run out otherwise." Ryan nodded. Better only one than none at all. Scott and Mick had been shocked by the wound on Maggie's arm when she cleaned it, wondering when and how she had gotten it.

"Mountain lion," Blain said in answer to their unspoken questions. "She saved our lives."

"All I did was defend myself," Maggie said modestly as Mick and Scott stared.

"She took her pack and smacked it in the side of the head," Ryan said. "She hit that mountain lion so hard it fell on the ground." Mick and Scott instantly gained a lot of respect for Maggie.

"You've been busy," Mick said with an Australian accent.

"You could say that," Blain replied. "What about you? Where'd you get the flashlight and griddle?"

"Found a box of our stuff downstream," Mick answered. "It had dry matches and some food and other things."

"We found a waterfall downstream," Scott continued in a more serious tone. "It's lucky we all got out of the river when we did, or we would have all gone over. I don't know if Murphy even knew it was there. It's almost a good thing we capsized."

Maggie examined Mick's ankle when she finished caring for her own injuries. She was relieved to find it wasn't broken. "An ace bandage should take care of that," she said. "Just take it easy." She pulled a bandage out of the pack and started to wrap the ankle. "You can't do much walking on it for a day or two at least." Mick nodded.

"You know," Ryan said thoughtfully, "I asked Murphy if there were any waterfalls. He said there weren't any on this river. The only thing to worry about was whitewater, but then, that was the whole point of the trip."

"Does anyone else think we've been had?" Scott asked disgustedly.

"Where is Murphy?" Blain asked. "Did you find him?"

"No sign of him," Mick said. "I take it you didn't find him either." Blain shook his head. Mick sighed.

"I think we ought to get some sleep and worry about it in the morning," Jessie suggested, "It's getting late, and there are three people who really need to rest, and at least two more who'd like nothing better." The group silently agreed with nodding heads. With only two sleeping bags, they would have to share.

"I think we should let the girls have one of the sleeping bags, and the rest of us share the other," Mick suggested.

"That's impractical," Jessie countered. "Two of you would be cold all night."

"Maybe so, but at least it wouldn't be inappropriate," Mick argued.

"Who cares about that?" Jessie exclaimed. "No one needs to freeze. And I don't know about you, but I plan to keep my clothes _on_." Maggie did a double take, staring at the two. It was like Jonny and Jessie all over again. And here she thought she'd be getting away from the squabbling.

After some debate about who slept where, Ryan suggested that Jessie and Scott sleep on either side of Maggie to keep her warm, and Blain and Mick on either side of himself for the same reason. He and Maggie were more prone to the effects of the cold than the others, and the others agreed with his logic, none of them wanting to take any unnecessary chances.

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To be continued…

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	3. Deadly Misadventures

Disclaimer: Please see chapter one.

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Warnings: Overall Rating of PG.

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A Note From the Author: Wow. I posted chapter one and chapter two in 2005. It's 2013! Well, better late than never, I guess. ~Sapphire

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The Real Adventures of Jonny Quest

Continental Divide

By: Sapphire

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Chapter Three: Deadly Misadventures

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Timetable: Day Five

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When Maggie woke the next morning, there was no one on either side of her. She flipped the sleeping bag off and sat up in the morning sunshine. She looked around, but the only person she saw was Ryan. He was sitting up against a boulder, dozing with the sun on his face.

"Oh, good morning," Scott said coming out of the woods with a stack of firewood in his arms. He dumped it in a pile, then moved some boiling water off the fire.

"Why didn't anyone wake me up?" she asked him.

"You looked so peaceful we just left you alone," he told her.

"Oh," she said. She got up and found a canteen with some water in it. She took a long drink from it.

"Thirsty or something?" Ryan asked her, peeking at her through one eye.

"Or something," Maggie replied. Ryan laughed. She rummaged in her pack and dug out the first aid kit. She gave Ryan his aspirin. "I'll bet you were waiting for that," she said. He nodded. Maggie set to work on her arm. She was in the midst of having Ryan rewrap it when everyone came back with armloads of firewood.

"Good, you're awake," Jessie said when she saw Maggie. "You're looking much better."

"Thank-you."

"Blain had a suggestion this morning," Jessie said. "We thought we'd run it by you."

"Fire away," Maggie said.

"I think we ought to build ourselves a shelter," Blain began. "We aren't going to be able to meet up with Jessie's dad. There is no way you, Ryan, or Mick are going to make that long of a hike. You need to rest, too, so they'll just have to come get us. Until then, we need some place dry to sleep that shelters us from wind."

"I think we ought to build it," Jessie said.

"I don't," Mick said. "I think we ought to go looking for Murphy. He's lost out there somewhere and might be hurt."

"You and Scott went downstream a long way and didn't find a trace of him. Blain and I went upstream and didn't find anything either. He probably went over the falls in which case there is nothing we can do for him," Ryan speculated.

"But maybe we missed him on the way," Mick argued.

"He would have called out to you when you passed him," Jessie said, fire in her eyes.

"Mick, forget about Murphy," Scott ordered his fraternity brother and friend. "If Murphy survived the river, he probably took off. Why would he want to hang around and let us find out he swindled us? We're not searching for Murphy. If we didn't find him when we split up, we probably never will. We'd be spending our time a lot wiser by building some kind of shelter."

"I think it's the best thing to do," Maggie said supporting Scott. "I had thought about it myself."

"Are you going to shut up and help us?" Scott asked. Mick nodded in defeat.

"Okay guys," Jessie stepped up and took the lead. "We have two tents. We all won't fit in them, but we can use the nylon to keep the rain out of the shelter. We'll need to cut some saplings for the frame, and some pine boughs for walls and roofing. Mick, you help Maggie pick a spot to put the shelter. Blain and Scott, you come with me. Looks like we're stuck with hard labor." Jessie, Blain, and Scott headed off into the trees to start cutting, leaving the others behind.

Maggie began to walk around the perimeter of camp, looking for a spot to put the shelter. Mick followed, limping on his sprained ankle.

"What kind of spot are you looking for?" he asked her.

"Flat ground. Possibly without many rocks. Maybe grassy. Definitely higher ground with good drainage so the rain doesn't saturate the ground beneath us," she told him. "It'll have to be wide enough for three people across and two people head to head. The tent will cover it better that way, I think."

They finally chose a spot just beyond the boulder Ryan sat against, and a little off to the side. It was far enough away from the fire to avoid a fire hazard, and on a slight rise where the ground was fairly level. There were rocks, but they could be removed.

"We might as well start measuring it out," Mick said. Maggie nodded and pulled some twine from a pack and started to unwind it. Mick stood still while she measured off his height twice.

"Now we'll add a little more for head room and wall space," she muttered as she added about two feet to the length of the twine. Then she whipped out her Swiss Army Knife and cut it.

Mick estimated the width of the shelter, and together they stretched out the twine between them and stuck twigs in the ground for markers. They worked it out until they had the sticks positioned in a form as close to a perfect rectangle as they could, with direction from Ryan.

"I think the corners are as squared as we're going to get them," Ryan decided. "Maybe you should start picking out the rocks." He gave the ground between the markers a dubious look. "It's going to take a while." Maggie and Mick exchanged a reluctant glance, then started in on the arduous task. As they worked, Jessie, Blain, and Scott came with the first load of branches and saplings. They refreshed themselves with cool water from the canteens, then went out for more.

"Is that all the twine you've got?" Ryan asked, using the Swiss Army knife to cut twigs off the saplings intended for poles. Maggie looked up at Ryan, then at the twine that was stretched between markers. She nodded.

"Yeah. Why?"

"It's not going to be enough," Ryan said. "It might last to get the frame secure, but after that… There won't be enough to put those boughs on the roof and walls." Maggie took a minute to think, then her face lit up as she had an idea.

"Ryan, you can't get up," she said suddenly. He looked up, startled.

"I can't really help it," he said, pointing to his splinted leg.

"I know. I'm sorry. I didn't mean it that way." Ryan just nodded at her apology. "It's just, I think I know how to get more twine." Ryan raised an eyebrow at her.

"And how is that?" Mick asked skeptically. "Going to run to the corner hardware store?" Maggie gave an exasperated sigh.

"No. Ryan is going to make some more." Both Ryan and Mick stared at Maggie. "I'll supply you with long grass," Maggie told Ryan. "You'll weave and braid it into lengths of rope. I'll teach you how." Maggie ran off toward the edge of the woods, taking her Swiss Army Knife from Ryan. She started to cut stalks of grass and put it in a pile beside her. When she had a good load, she carried it over and placed it beside Ryan.

"Now, you begin with a few pieces like this," she told him demonstrating. "Start to braid them together about here." She began to cross them over one another and a braid began to form. "It'll get easier as you go," she said.

"I hope so," Ryan replied.

"Now, you have to make it stronger, so you take another piece and you just start weaving it into the braid with the other pieces like so," she said as she demonstrated. She watched as Ryan picked up some blades of tall grass and began to braid adding more as he went. "You're doing great," she encouraged. "Keep doing what you're doing until the length is about this long," she held her hands apart from each other indicating the desired length, "then start another one." Ryan nodded and watched her finish the cord she was making. She gave it to him for an example, then went to help Mick again.

When the others returned with a second load of branches, they decided they had enough to construct the shelter. Blain and Scott looked over the site, and decided it would do. Mick and Scott had to lay down on the ground head to head in the rectangle to convince Jessie it would do. That settled, they started on the frame.

Blain, Scott, and Mick held the saplings in place while Maggie and Jessie bound them together with twine. The frame was made so the roof sloped back toward the ground for rain to run off, and so it had a wide door at the front. They had enough twine to place cross bars on the roof and walls for both support and a base to attach the pine boughs. When they were done, they stood back to examine the free standing frame they had made.

"It looks really good," Ryan said as he looked it over with a critical eye. The four poles in the corners were then stuck into the ground, and they placed football sized rocks around each one to hold it firmly, making the structure stable.

They took a break for lunch, then got to work putting on walls and a roof. It didn't take as much time to do as they had thought. Maggie got out the small tents and unrolled them, trying to work out how they would go onto the shelter in her mind. Scott joined her as Blain and Jessie put on the finishing touches.

"How are we going to manage this?" he asked. Maggie shrugged.

"I think they'd fit okay, one on each half of the shelter, but I'm not sure how to go about it."

"I have an idea," Scott said after a moment of thought. "The two rain flies can cover the roof. They'll overlap, but we can sew them together. I saw a sewing kit in a pack. We can cut the tents apart here," he pointed out the seam he meant, "and wrap them around the walls. where they meet in back can be sewn and where they meet in front will be the door." Maggie liked what he said. She pictured it in her mind, trying to work out the kinks. Satisfied that she had a plan, she and Scott started to cut up the tents.

The sides of the shelter were covered in no time. Blain was busy sewing the back together while Maggie had the two rain flies in her lap. This required more skill; the rain couldn't leak through the new seam, rough stitching wouldn't do, and she had the know-how. It was difficult going for her. Her arm was throbbing with pain. She didn't know how long she could go before she couldn't stand it any more. She refused to show weakness, however, and diligently worked on sewing the nylon together. When she was finally finished, she gladly gave up the nylon cover and stood absently watching them affix it to the roof as her arm hung limply at her side.

"Hey, Maggie, you okay?" Scott said waving a hand in front of her face. She looked up at him startled.

"Huh? Oh. Yeah. Fine."

"No, you're not fine," Scott said taking her arm, he put a supportive arm around her waist and guided her over to sit beside Ryan. "You need to take a break." He gave her a canteen and made her take a drink of water. Satisfied that she'd stay put, he went to help the others pick the rest of the rocks from inside the shelter.

Jessie decided some kind of padding to sleep on would be nice, otherwise they'd be sore from the infinite rocks they just couldn't get rid of. She and Mick took the two utility knives and started cutting grass from anywhere it was growing. Blain and Scott roved the woods, collecting little springy pine twigs to go down under the grasses. In an hour, they had a nice layer of padding between them and the ground.

Maggie and Ryan had been sleeping for some time against the sunny rock. They woke up just as the others were finishing the shelter. "What should we do the rest of the day?" Jessie asked the group for suggestions.

"I think we should go swimming," Maggie said after drawing her hand through her hair and noticing how filthy it was. "I have environment friendly shampoo and soap in my pack."

"Good idea," Scott said pulling his sweat soaked t-shirt off. "There's a nice spot we can use close to camp. The current is slow and the bottom is sandy."

"What are we going to wear swimming?" Blain asked. "If we swim all afternoon, our jeans won't be dry by tonight. We'll freeze."

"We found a box of clothes just downstream," Mick said. "We just left it because it was all summer stuff, nothing warm. It's not far. Scott can go get it." Scott took off at a dead run, headed downstream to retrieve the wooden crate he and Mick had seen.

Scott was soon back with the crate. The guys started pulling things from the box. Jessie and Maggie emerged from the shelter then, changed into their bathing suits. The guys went into the shelter next and put on their cutoffs. Jessie helped Maggie wrap plastic packaging from a used bag of granola around her bandages to keep them from getting wet. As they finished up, the guys emerged ready for swimming. "It's good and tight, Jess," Maggie said. "I think that should do, for the most part." That settled, the group headed for the swimming hole. Maggie wasn't far behind, but she had picked up the pile of dirty clothes the guys had discarded and added a few things of hers and Jessie's before following.

Ryan was sitting next to the riverbank in the shade when she finally arrived, while the others were in the water making a lot of noise. Maggie dumped the load of clothes and sat down beside Ryan on the river bank. She picked up a blood stained t-shirt of hers and submerged it in the cold water. Putting some soap on it she started scrubbing, trying to get the stain out. After fifteen minutes of diligent scrubbing, she finally gave up and rinsed the shirt out. Then she picked up another article of clothing and started washing it.

"Hey, you don't have to do all the work," Scott said coming up to her. "Let me help." He sat down beside Maggie and started in on the other side of the laundry pile. They had the laundry done in less than an hour.

"I'm about ready for a swim, now," Maggie said as she laid out the last shirt to dry. She walked over to the bank and picked up her shampoo bottle before braving the river. "This must be melt water from the snowcaps," she said with a shiver.

"Probably," Jessie agreed. "Just wash up quick and get out fast."

"I'll try," Maggie said as she took a breath and sank beneath the surface. "Damn, that's cold!" she said when she emerged. She had to shampoo her hair twice before it was satisfactorily clean. Then she soaped down the rest of her body and rinsed off as quick as she could. Stumbling up the rocky bank, she found a place to sit and sun herself on a warm rock. From there, she watched the others scrubbing themselves clean.

"Finally," Ryan said when Scott and Blain carried him out into the water. "It's about time someone noticed me."

"We notice you," Jessie protested.

"Yeah, that's why I've been sitting on the bank, tortured, watching you swim while I sweat to death," Ryan exaggerated.

"That's it exactly," Jessie said with a twinkle in her eye. "We noticed you stink. We decided we don't want to smell you all night." She gave him a wicked grin. "Dunk him, boys." Scott and Blain wore similar smiles as they dunked Ryan under the icy cold water.

"First you ignore me, now you try to drown me!" Ryan spluttered after Scott and Blain lifted him up again.

"And now we're going to torture you," Jessie said with an evil laugh. "Nurse, get me the cleaning solution!"

"Yes Doctor," Mick said with a salute, then grabbed the shampoo from the bank and tossed it to Jessie.

"Orderlies, hold the patient down," Jessie commanded Scott and Blain. "This is going to get soapy." Ryan laughed as Jessie dunked his head under the water and started to scrub his hair. Maggie sat on the bank, laughing, as she watched them continue to play out their game. When Ryan was clean, and refreshed from his dip in the river he was carried back to the riverbank and put on a grassy spot in the sun to warm up and dry. They spent the rest of the afternoon in and out of the water, enjoying themselves despite their adverse circumstances.

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By nightfall, the group had eaten and changed into their warm clothes. Maggie and Jessie were sitting on one side of the fire by themselves while the guys talked among themselves opposite them. Maggie was realizing just how hard she had pushed herself that day. She was in a lot of pain, could hardly move her arm at all, and felt lightheaded. Jessie was busy brushing her hair because she simply didn't have the strength to do it herself.

"You really should take it easy," Jessie said. "You can't fool me. You hurt right now. I know you lost a lot of blood the other day. You're going to get sick if you aren't more careful."

"I know, Jess," Maggie said. "It's just- well, there's Ryan and his leg, and Mick and his ankle..."

"You can't help them if your cuts get infected," Jessie pointed out. "You can't do anything if you're delirious from fever."

"I know. You're right," Maggie said softly.

"Good. Now, can I ask you about something?" Jessie asked, changing the subject, "I've been trying to bring it up since we left home but it never seemed like the right time." Maggie just nodded. "Has something been bothering you? Not these last few days, but before that. You've been kind of, withdrawn, lately." Maggie was silent and sat unusually still as Jessie began to weave a French braid into her hair. "Are you okay?"

"I was," Maggie said curtly. "I thought it would be nice to get away for a while, come out here with you and your dad…and then you brought _that _up."

"So I was right," Jessie said. "I just thought that if you wanted to talk about it, you could talk to me."

"Thank-you, but I don't want to talk. Talking won't help. I just want to forget." Jessie finished Maggie's hair, then left her alone. It was clear her friend just wanted some space.

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Jessie woke to a crash and rumble. The ground beneath her was vibrating with the sound. Her first instinct told her it was an earthquake, but then there was a blinding flash of light and the noise came again. Mick bolted upright, and Jessie could see his wide, startled eyes in the brilliant white light from the lightning.

"Loud, that," he said as the rumbling died away. Jessie nodded. Scott and Blain were awake, too, but Maggie and Ryan were just beginning to stir. They had to be exhausted to sleep through even one of those thunderclaps. Another flash lit up the shelter, thunder close behind. Maggie and Jessie covered their ears. Ryan pulled the thick sleeping bag up over his ears in attempt to block out the racket. Scott got up to look out between the door flaps. Everyone could see past him through the parted tent flap. It was pitch black. With each flash of lightning, they could see the rain pouring down.

"I'm glad we built this thing," Scott said. The others nodded in agreement. Just then the shelter lit up with another bolt of lightning. The thunder came almost the same instant as the flash of light and shook the little structure.

"That was close," Blain muttered. "Do you think we have anything to worry about?" Jessie and Maggie looked at each other. That was the last thing any of them needed. No one said a word, they didn't want to admit the possibility. Instead, they sat there in the dark as it stormed outside the little shelter, huddled together under the sleeping bags trying to keep warm.

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As the storm rolled in, Race woke from a flash of lightning. He got up off the ground and out of his sleeping bag before he heard the loud rumble of thunder. He needed to find some kind of shelter to keep himself dry. He kicked dirt onto the dying fire and turned on a flashlight. He left his pack up in the tree where he had hung it. It would be fine up there.

Race wandered up the trail a little way, looking for someplace sheltered. The lightning was dangerous, so he bypassed two possible places located directly under trees. Relief washed over him when he saw a small, open cave cut into the rock that looked as though a chunk of the mountain had been gouged out. He quickly cleared out leaves and debris and made a place for a fire. He collected some dry wood and kindling and stacked them in an A frame, piling extra fuel nearby. He took his matches and was just lighting the fire as the first drops of rain fell.

The outcrop protected the little fire from the strong winds and most of the rain. A few raindrops did manage to land in it, but they sizzled on the hot wood and dried up. Race banked the fire, then huddled under the overhang up against the rock, wrapped in his sleeping bag. He would stay dry though he wouldn't sleep. As the night went on, he sat there before his fire and wondered where Jessie was at that moment, if she was safe and dry. "Jessie and Maggie are smart," he told himself. "They'll be fine." He sighed and stared at the flames, hoping his words were true.

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Timetable: Day Six

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Jessie woke up early the next morning, despite the long night. She knew she wasn't going to sleep any more so she crawled out of the sleeping bag and made for the doorway.

"Where are you going?" Ryan asked as she passed by his head. Jessie was startled.

"I didn't mean to wake you," Jessie whispered.

"I wasn't asleep," Ryan replied. "Where are you going?"

"I'm going to start a fire," she answered. "Make breakfast, maybe."

"I wish I could get up and go with you," Ryan said. Jessie gave him a smile.

"I know." Ryan gave a silent nod, and Jessie turned and went out the door. As she passed Mick, who was on the other side of Ryan, she noticed him watching her from under the sleeping bag pulled over his head. She hadn't realized he was awake. He saw her looking at him and gave her a half-smile. Jessie returned it, then slipped out through the doorway.

Once outside the shelter, Jessie shook off the weird feeling Mick always seemed to give her. She pondered why he had that effect on her, then shook her head dismissing it all from her mind. She headed for the woodpile and picked some dry wood from the bottom. Birch bark for tinder was a lucky find, it burns wet or dry. She had a little fire going in no time. Once it took a good hold, she went to the river with a pail to fetch some water.

The river was loud with rushing water as she neared it. It was obvious from her first glimpse that it was carrying substantially more water than it had the day before, due to the heavy rainfall overnight. The place they had been swimming was now as turbulent as the rest of the waterway.

When she got back, Mick was crouched by the fire trying to warm his hands from the little heat it radiated. Jessie walked up and put the pail on a flat stone, right in the fire.

"Do you want to go get the packs down out of the tree?" she asked. Mick nodded. When he came back, he set the packs down next to Jessie. She opened them, searching for a package of oatmeal.

"That looks good," Mick commented. "Hot porridge for breakfast." Jessie laughed to herself. She found something oddly funny in his calling oatmeal, porridge. His accent made it even funnier.

"What's so funny?" Mick demanded when he noticed her quiet laughter.

"Nothing," Jessie replied without a giggle. There really wasn't anything funny about it. She'd been to Australia. His accent wasn't unusual. They called oatmeal 'porridge' in England, and some parts of Canada, too. At least that was her reasoning. She looked up at the dubious expression Mick cast in her direction. Jessie thought it was a classic Jonny look, confused and curious all at once. It was all she could do to hold back the gales of laughter suddenly threatening to bubble over.

"I don't see what's so funny about porridge," Mick repeated. Jessie couldn't hold it back anymore and let out a laugh. She quickly put a hand to her mouth, hoping she hadn't woken the others. It didn't matter. A minute later, Blain popped his head out of the shelter and came to stand by the fire.

"What's so funny?" he asked when he saw Jessie's face.

"Porridge, I think," Mick said with a dismissive shake of his head. Jessie burst out laughing again, and struggled to contain herself.

"Don't bother, Jess," Maggie said pushing the door flaps aside. "We're all awake now." Jessie let herself have a good laugh. It felt good. Recovering from her spontaneous laugh attack, she poured the oatmeal into the pail of boiling water to cook. Everyone kept giving her the occasional surreptitious glance as they went about morning tasks. They were most probably wondering if she had gone mad.

During the morning meal, Jessie sobered as she brought up a serious problem that had come to her attention that morning. "We're starting to run low on provisions," she announced. "As of now, I don't think we have enough food to make it through tomorrow morning."

"Okay, so we'll have to scavenge for food," Blain said optimistically. "I'm game."

"Anyone know edible plants?" Scott asked.

"I know some," Jessie and Maggie said in unison.

"That's a start," Ryan noted.

"I think my fishing hooks and lines are still on the bottom of my pack," Maggie added. Blain started digging to the bottom of Maggie's pack. When he pulled them out, neatly stored in a plastic baggie, he and Mick started to devise simple fishing poles. Ryan helped Maggie bathe her wounds while Jessie cleaned up breakfast.

Scott pulled Jessie's utility knife from her pack and found a lightweight dish towel that had been in the crate of supplies he and Mick had found along the river. Sitting cross-legged just inside the shelter, he took the small towel and devised a useable sling for Maggie. Her arm was black and blue when she removed the bandages to clean the wound. He knew she had to be in pain, and thinking of all the work she had done the day before…Scott figured he could surprise her.

Maggie frowned at first sight of her wounds. The four parallel gashes were red and inflamed. The beginnings of an infection. She wanted to kick herself for not taking better care of herself. She washed her arm and liberally applied the antiseptic. When that was done, she spread a bacteria fighting cream over the wound. Then she placed the bandage over it and began to wrap it with Ryan's help.

"Here," Scott ducked out of the shelter and held something out to her. She took it, but wasn't sure what to do with it. Scott dropped to one knee next to her, and helped her into it. "Like it?"

"Yes, thank-you," Maggie said, pleased with the sling. Ryan helped her adjust it properly, then the three of them packed the first aid supplies away. Blain and Mick appeared from the woods carrying a plastic baggie filled with what appeared to be dirt. No one had noticed them slip away, but now they wondered what they had been up to.

"Worms," Blain said in answer to their questioning looks. "We need bait if we're going fishing." Fishing would be a welcome diversion, as well as a necessary task. They split into two fishing parties. Jessie, Mick, and Blain went upstream a little way, and Scott, Ryan, and Maggie fished right near camp. Blain helped carry Ryan to the riverbank before heading off with Jessie and Mick.

The three of them trekked along the bank until they came to a place where the bank was a good four feet above the surface of the river. Right below them was a wash where they could see many fish lazily circling, as if taking a rest before pushing on in the rushing waters of the main stream. They decided to drop their lines.

The fishing poles Blain and Mick had rigged were just sturdy sticks with line tied to one end. Not sophisticated by any means, but it did the trick. Not long after dropping their hooks into the water they could feel fish nibbling at the bait, and with careful timing they hooked two fish for lunch. Satisfied with their catch, they went to pull in their lines and head for camp.

"I got the hook caught on something," Mick said getting up off the ground. He stepped up to the bank and peered over the short drop. He could see the hook stuck in a leafy plant half way up the bank. He gave it a tug to see if it would come loose. As he leaned forward to look again, the loose gravel under his feet shifted and put him off balance. The next thing he knew, he was surrounded by icy water. As his head broke the surface of the river, he could hear Blain and Jessie calling to him from above.

"Mick!" Jessie called, "Try to grab onto something!"

"There's nothing to hold onto!" Mick shouted as the current began to pull him away from the bank.

"I'll get help!" Blain shouted and took off at a dead run for camp. Jessie watched Mick as he drifted away from the riverbank. The current was fast, and he was struggling to keep his head up. Making a split second decision, she jumped in after him.

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To be continued…

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	4. Bare Survival

Disclaimer: Please see chapter one.

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Warnings: Overall Rating of PG.

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A Note From the Author: I hope you're enjoying Continental Divide! I had a lot of fun writing it, using knowledge from my own real life experiences. I try to do that in all my JQ fan fiction. I like to use things I've actually done, places I've actually been, and sometimes people I actually know. (Though I change their names, of course!) ~Sapphire

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The Real Adventures of Jonny Quest

Continental Divide

By: Sapphire

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Chapter Four: Bare Survival

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Maggie, Scott, and Ryan were enjoying the fishing. The river was full of trout and they were pulling in fish after fish. As the sun began to peek out from behind the clouds, they pulled their lines in, and Scott took their catch down the trail away from camp and started the arduous task of cleaning them. Maggie lounged beside the river with Ryan, taking in the sun in amiable silence. Blain suddenly came running out of the trees toward them.

"Mick fell in the river!" Blain shouted. "Jessie jumped in after him! They're being carried downstream really fast!"

"Hurry," Maggie said jumping up. "Blain, go get the forty foot rope from Jessie's pack. Ryan- you cross your fingers." Blain ran for camp, she took off downstream. "Scott!" she yelled, "Scott! Where are you?!"

Maggie wasn't sure how far away Scott had gone to clean the fish. She knew he wanted to do it far enough away so wildlife didn't wander into camp. She ran down the deer trail, avoiding roots and logs as best she could. She screamed when Scott suddenly appeared next to her.

"Don't do that!" she cried out, trying to catch her breath.

"Sorry," he said. "What's wrong? You came running out here like the devil was after you or something."

"Mick and Jessie. They're in the river. They're being washed downstream," Maggie reported. "We have to find them."

"We have to get them out before they go over the falls," Scott said seriously, starting to run downstream.

"The falls," Maggie whispered in horror.

"Come on!" Scott shouted at her, snapping her out of her daze, "I'm gonna need your help!" Maggie took off after him as fast as she could run.

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…...

Jessie was surprised at how deep the water was. It had looked so shallow, but it wasn't. Coming up for air, she could feel the pull of the current, tugging her toward midstream. Not wasting time she located Mick and swam as hard as she could toward him, hoping she'd catch him before they were both washed over the falls she knew were ahead.

"Jessie!" Mick shouted, trying to swim toward her. Jessie concentrated on getting to him. He was having a hard time in the rushing water.

"Mick! Keep swimming!" She shouted, slowly gaining on him. It seemed like forever, but they finally came within reach of each other. "Give me your hand!" Jessie called. Mick stretched his hand toward her. A strong surge of water suddenly caught Jessie and pushed her out ahead of Mick.

"Jessie!" Mick managed to yell as a huge, low-lying boulder suddenly appeared behind her. It was too late. The current slammed Jessie right into it. Mick made a grab for Jessie just as she was slipping under the water, unconscious. He caught her shirt and held tight to it. He wasn't sure what to do next as he struggled to keep them both afloat until he saw another big boulder ahead.

Allowing the current to push him right to it, he put his feet in front of him to catch it, letting the force of the water hold them there. Adrenaline pumping, he managed to push Jessie up onto the rock's surface. Then, with a heave, he pulled himself out of the rushing water.

Once up, he pulled Jessie to safety and lay her flat on the rock, tilting her head back. Then he held his ear to her mouth listening, and watched for any signs of breathing. He detected nothing. He checked for a pulse. Relief washed over him when he found it. At least she was still alive.

"Okay, Jessie, you have to breathe for me, now," Mick said as he pinched her nose and took a deep breath. He covered her mouth with his and slowly breathed into her twice. He turned his head to watch and listen again for any sign that she was breathing on her own. Still nothing. Mick breathed for Jessie again. This time she started to cough up river water. Mick quickly rolled her onto her side and watched with relief as she spit out the water, breathing on her own. Jessie opened her eyes and looked up at him. She knew he had just saved her life.

"Thank-you," she said.

"No, thank-you," Mick told her. "And, I'm sorry. If it weren't for me, you wouldn't have nearly drown." Jessie just smiled, then closed her eyes and rested. "Sit up," Mick said after a few quiet minutes. Jessie opened up one eye. "I think you're hurt," Mick said. "You're shoulder is bleeding." Jessie sat up at once and Mick could see right through a tear in her shirt to the cut and scraped skin beneath it.

Mick tore off a piece of his own shirt and submerged it in the river to get the dirt off of it. He squeezed it out, then put it on the wound, applying pressure to stop the bleeding. Jessie sat there as still as she could, watching him.

"It's not so bad," Mick said. "I've done worse falling off my bicycle as a kid." Jessie gave a wan smile.

"It looks like we're stuck here for a while," Jessie said looking around her. "We can't risk going back into the water. We'll have to wait for help." Mick nodded, remembering the waterfall.

"How long will it take them to find us, do you think?" Mick asked. Jessie shrugged. She couldn't say. She didn't know how far downstream they had gone. It could be hours depending on how far they had been washed downstream.

All fears were soon put to rest. Mick spotted Scott and Maggie on the riverbank. As they neared, Jessie started to wave her arm to get their attention. "They see us!" she said exuberantly. They had been found.

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"There they are!" Scott shouted to Maggie. "They're okay." Maggie came to stop beside him and stood catching her breath.

"What if they had still been in the water?" Maggie asked curiously.

"I don't know," Scott admitted with a shrug. "But whatever I came up with, I knew I would have needed help." Maggie actually laughed, despite the danger their friends were still in.

"Fair enough," she said. "Now we'll wait for Blain to get here with the rope." Scott nodded, and they stood waiting.

"Scott! Maggie!" the two turned to see Blain hurrying down the deer trail. "Did you find them?"

"Yeah, safe, but stuck on a rock," Maggie called to him. Blain sprinted the rest of the way and handed the rope to Scott who held his hand out for it. He took it to a sturdy tree and tied it around securely. Maggie, at Scott's direction, uncoiled the rest of the rope.

"We'll throw the rope to them. They can tie it around themselves and we'll pull them to shore one at a time. If we drop the rope, the end tied to the tree will keep them from washing away," Scott explained. "I just hope the rope is long enough." Maggie jogged up the trail a few yards, then stood back, surveying the rescue area. Then she jogged back.

"That's a forty foot rope," she said. "It'll make it." Scott nodded, then proposed his idea for explaining procedure to the two stranded on the rock mid stream. The three of them made it a game, acting out the planned rescue.

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…...

"Oh, I get it," Mick exclaimed, watching as Blain and Scott hauled on the rope, their movements completely exaggerated as they pulled Maggie toward them.

"They'll throw us the rope, we tie it around ourselves like Maggie did, and they pull us to shore," Jessie summarized.

"It's the best we've got," Mick shrugged. At least the other end will be tied to a tree. We can't go over the falls." Jessie shuddered. "Sorry," Mick apologized. "I'm only being honest."

"I know," Jessie said, giving the thumbs-up to their friends on the riverbank. "I just wish you weren't quite so blunt about it." She watched as Maggie untangled herself from the rope, and Blain readied to throw it. With a carefully aimed heave, he let it fly.

Mick lunged for the rope and caught it in his hand, but he reached too far over the water and was slipping off the rock. "Mick!" Jessie yelled and grabbed for him. She caught his shirt and hauled him back safely onto the rock.

"When you get back to shore, tell them they need to throw it farther next time," Mick said breathlessly.

"You can tell them yourself," Jessie said. "You're going first. That way I won't have to worry about saving your neck again."

"Oh no," Mick said. "You are going first. I'm not leaving you out here alone after your run in with that rock." He took the rope and looped it around Jessie and tied it tight, despite her protests. "For once, don't argue with me," he ordered. Jessie gave up, and turned to ease her way into the river. "Good luck," Mick said.

"Good luck to you, too," Jessie replied, then she was caught in the current and pulled away from the rock.

Jessie kept her eyes on Blain who stood on the bank pulling her in. Right behind him were Scott and Maggie. "Pull!" she could hear Blain command the others. Jessie prayed the rope wouldn't break as they pulled hand over hand hauling her to shore.

When Jessie finally reached shallow water, Blain waded knee-deep into the river to help her out. He practically carried the near frozen redhead to dry ground. Maggie knelt down next to her and untied the knot Jessie's icy hands couldn't manage. Then she took off her sweatshirt and put it around Jessie to warm her.

"We'll have you in front of a fire as soon as we can," Maggie said, rubbing one of Jessie's cold hands in her warm ones. Blain retrieved the rope and threw it out over the water a second time. Scott called to Maggie and she left Jessie to help pull Mick to safety.

Once he was safe, Blain helped Mick over to sit beside Jessie. The two huddled together for warmth. Scott gave his sweatshirt to Mick before helping Maggie with the rope. They coiled the soaked rope, then Scott slung it over his shoulder to carry back.

"Ready to get out of here?" Scott asked. "Ryan is probably worried sick, still sitting alone by the river."

"We're ready. Let's go," Blain said. He took hold of Jessie's wrist and pulled her up off the ground. Then he put a hand out to Mick. Together they headed back to camp.

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…...

Mick and Jessie, in dry clothes, were sitting wrapped in sleeping bags before a crackling fire. Maggie was tending Jessie's shoulder, with Ryan's assistance, and Blain was cooking fish over the fire on the griddle.

"How is that, Jess?" Maggie asked as she finished.

"Feel's pretty good," Jessie replied as she leaned back against the rock next to Ryan, shoulder to shoulder with him. "Thanks guys."

"Good," Blain said, "the fish is done." Eagerly, they dug into the food as Blain took them off the griddle. They hadn't eaten since early that morning, and it was now late afternoon. Every bit of fish was soon eaten up, and the young people sat around lazily, enjoying the feeling of being stuffed. As the sun began to set, they went about readying camp for night.

"We need more wood for the fire," Scott said looking at the depleted pile, "That won't last more than a few hours. Who wants to come with me and collect some more?"

"I'll go," both Blain and Maggie said at the same time. They looked at each other and laughed.

"You can both come with," Scott said, "We'll finish faster." The three of them headed into the woods. They combed the area close to camp and found that it was picked clean. "Looks like we'll have to go farther to get wood."

"There's a lot of deadfall over that way," Maggie pointed into the woods opposite the river. Neither Blain nor Scott had any objections. They roamed, picking up dry wood until they each had as much as they could carry. Toting heavy loads they headed back to camp. Blain gave a startled cry, breaking the silence, as the ground dropped out from under his feet.

"Blain!" Scott shouted dropping his load of wood and grabbing for his friend. Scott caught Blain's wrist, Blain's weight pulling him down to the ground on the edge of an enormous pit.

"Ahh!" Blain yelped in pain, his shoulder popping out of it's socket as his fall was jerked to a halt.

"Oh my God," Maggie breathed dropping her own load of wood. "Don't look down," she ordered him. As the dust settled, she saw the pit riddled with sharpened poles protruding from the bottom. She was almost certain it was a pit trap once used to hunt large game animals. Blain chose to ignore her warning and looked down anyway.

"Help me," he begged in fear. If he fell, he was as good as dead, and he knew it.

"Can you climb out?" Scott asked through clenched teeth, suspending Blain above the sharp spears. Blain shook his head.

"My shoulder, something happened to it," he said. "I don't think I can pull myself out." Scott nodded as his mind raced.

"Maggie," he said, "You are going to have to help pull Blain up." Maggie nodded and got down on the ground next to Scott. "Blain, reach up with your other arm. Maggie, you get a good hold on it." Blain winced as his weight shifted. Sharp pain was shooting from his shoulder. He ignored it as best he could and reached for Maggie's hand.

"Just a bit more," Maggie encouraged. Blain gave it one more try and swung his body a little to give himself a boost. Maggie caught his hand and gripped his wrist tightly.

"Good," Scott said, "Now, we're going to pull you up. But you have to help, Blain. Find some footholds and try to use them." Blain nodded. Scott and Maggie started to inch away from the edge, pulling Blain with them. He searched out foot holds and pushed himself upward when he could. The going was slow, but finally he was on solid ground.

Once they caught their breath, they inched back up to the pit's edge and peered into it. Maggie shuddered to think what would have happened had Scott not caught Blain. Unable to stand the sight any longer, Blain turned away from the pit. He struggled to stand; Scott had to get up and help him. They gathered up some of the wood they had dropped and started for camp, too shaken to say a word.

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"You look like you've all seen a ghost," Ryan commented, watching Scott, Blain, and Maggie trudge into camp. "What took you so long?"

"Only a near death experience," Blain said with a hint of sarcasm. "No big deal." Ryan, Jessie, and Mick stared at him with incredulity. Scott related what had happened. Blain sat grimacing. Maggie took a look at his shoulder.

"It's pretty bad," she said with a frown. She had enough injuries to treat, she certainly didn't want any more. "Your shoulder is dislocated. You need a doctor as much as Ryan does. The only thing I can do is immobilize it and give you aspirin to help with the pain." She looked up and caught Blain's gaze. "That said, it could have been a whole lot worse…" Blain only nodded. Maggie turned to Scott a moment. "Scott, will you make a sling?"

At the sound of his name, Scott looked up from giving his own injuries a once over. He had been feeling sore since catching Blain from his fall and had just found a few nasty bruises on his ribcage.

"I'll make the sling," he said, "If you tell me what I can do about this bruise." He pulled his shirt up to reveal a darkening spot on the lower right side of his ribs.

"We're a sorry lot," Mick said. "There isn't one of us who isn't sore and hurting." Maggie gave a rueful smile.

"Maybe we shouldn't leave camp. It seems when we do, things go wrong," Ryan said.

"You know we can't do that," Jessie said. Ryan shrugged.

"I know. It's not practical," he said. "We'll just have to be more careful from now on."

Scott handed Maggie the new sling when he finished it, and Maggie carefully helped Blain into it. Then she wrapped a long bandage around his chest, securing his arm to his body to keep it and his shoulder from moving around. That taken care of, she sighed. Despite everything that had happened, she had to admit to herself, at least, that it was all keeping her mind off certain things she had come west to forget.

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Race Bannon looked up at the cloudy sky. He knew it would be dark soon. He turned and looked up the trail. He figured he couldn't be far from the trail head. Early that day he had passed the campsite he, Jessie, and Maggie had stayed the first night. It had been three days since he had last seen his daughter and Maggie. He had originally expected to reach the Ranger station by that morning, if not earlier, and here he was still on the way. The rain the other night had washed out the trail in a few places and made it harder to travel, slowing him down. It frustrated him.

To top it off, Race was tired, dirty, and cold. Most of all, he was worried about Jessie, alone, in the middle of no where, with four college boys. '_What father wouldn't be_?' he reasoned. He knew Benton wouldn't like his niece being there either. These thoughts sparked a surge of energy. The faster he got to the ranger station, the sooner he could get back to Jessie to protect her from those college boys.

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Race managed to reach the trail head just after dark. He ran to his SUV, unlocked it, dumped his gear in the back, then jumped in the front and drove out of the parking lot. He drove through the park like a maniac to the main gate where the park's Ranger Headquarters was located. Running up to the doors, Race pulled them open and ran in.

"Hi there. They call me Ranger Pam. Can I help you, sir?" a young, blond ranger at the desk asked him. Race gave her an annoyed look.

"I have an emergency. I brought my daughter and her friend out here for a camping trip. Three days ago they spotted someone stranded in the woods just off the main trial. Apparently he had come looking for help, three of his friends were stranded, one of them badly injured from a fall. The girls immediately went with him to help the others, and I came for help. I need a team of people to go retrieve those six kids."

Ranger Pam raised a doubtful eyebrow. This had to be, by far, the strangest story she had ever heard. She didn't quite believe it. But protocol was clear in just such a case. She picked up her phone and made the necessary calls.

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Jessie and Maggie sat cross-legged beside each other before the fire. The group was unusually quiet that night. It had been a long day. All were completely drained and numb with exhaustion. Mick and Blain turned in early, Ryan with them. Scott was sitting opposite Maggie and Jessie, and all three sat in silence staring at the flames.

"It's so calm tonight," Jessie commented when the silence grew uncomfortable. "A lot calmer than today was." Maggie nodded in agreement, turning her gaze to the sky.

"Looks like the clouds are clearing off," she said absently. Jessie looked up. It was her turn to nod.

"I wonder if my dad is looking up right now thinking the same thing," Jessie sighed, a tense expression on her face.

"Most likely," Maggie said. "Knowing him, he's probably still hiking despite the late hour."

"You think he's made it to the ranger station yet?" Jessie wondered.

"It's been three days since we split up. Your dad said it would take him two and a half to get to the trail head," Maggie thought aloud.

"He might be there right now," Jessie said wistfully. Then her face fell and her mood shifted. "Or, he could be on his way still. The storm could have slowed him down."

"He's fine, Jess," Maggie assured her friend. "You know your dad. He doesn't quit, not where you're concerned. And right now you are lost in a wilderness four and a half days from anywhere."

"Thanks," Jessie said, "and just for the record, we're not lost. We know the way back to the trial."

"Speaking of that," Scott said. "Do you think we should try to meet up with him?"

"We can't do it," Maggie said with a shake of her head, "Mick has a sprained ankle, Ryan's leg is broken. Blain is suffering with his shoulder. I lost a lot of blood. Jessie is stiff from that boulder in the river incident. You're bruised, I'm amazed you can move around like you do. With our track record, I don't think we could survive a hike like that."

"When we're not at the trail when my dad gets there," Jessie said, "He'll come and get us. There is nothing to worry about. We'll stay here. We're safer staying put. We have plenty of food and water. It's all we can do."

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"I'm Lieutenant Simms. You are Race Bannon, I presume," a man in ranger uniform said as he came into the office.

"I am," Race answered.

"Then let's get down to business," Lt. Simms wasted no words. "Can you pinpoint the location where you last saw your daughter on this park map?" Race nodded and went to a huge map on the wall.

"We were backpacking along this trial here," Race indicated. "We separated here, the girls repelled down the cliff to the woods below. They're supposed to meet me there when I can get back."

"Good, I know the place," Lt. Simms said. He put a red 'X' on the map where Race had pointed. "Tell me, where were they headed?"

"Into the valley, toward the river. The guy they found was going to lead them the way he had come. It likely wouldn't be a straight path, but I know they intended to head downstream once they reached the river," Race said.

"So that would put the stranded party somewhere along this stretch of river," Lt. Simms said circling a part of the winding river on the map. "Now, what were those boys doing down in that valley in the first place?" The Lieutenant gave Race a challenging look as if expecting to catch Race in a lie. Race stared the skeptical Lieutenant right in the eye, challenging him to call him a liar to his face.

"The kid told Jessie he and his friends had been whitewater rafting on the river. That's all I know. I believe the guy was on the level. Jessie said he was in trouble. If she believes him, I believe him, no matter what he was doing out there. And whatever the circumstance, my daughter and my employers niece are out there, and they'll be expecting me to bring them home. If you won't help, I'll have to bring in my own forces and you won't be able to stop me."

"Well, Mr. Bannon," Lt. Simms said, satisfied that Race was in earnest, "We'll have a team ready to go before dawn. You, of course, will accompany them." Race nodded his head in satisfaction. "What happens if they aren't at the rendezvous point when we get there, Mr. Bannon?"

"Jessie promised me she'd leave a trial in case they couldn't meet me," Race said.

"Good. We should be able to find them relatively easily." Lt. Simms thought for a minute. "Ranger Pam," he called to the woman. She looked up. "Get me some emergency rescue people, some with tracking skills and some with emergency medical skills. I'll want the park's chopper at my disposal at a moment's notice. Get me more choppers from anyplace that will lend services. We may need assistance in a few days. I want people working on supplies and radio transmitters and receivers. You got all that, Ranger Pam?"

"Sure thing, Lt. Simms," Ranger Pam said zealously, already dialing her phone. "I'll have it done in a jiffy." Lt. Simms nodded, satisfied that things were well on their way to getting done with Ranger Pam already on the phone.

"I suggest, Mr. Bannon," he said to Race, "that you get some sleep. You look like you need it. You can use one of the open bunks upstairs." Race nodded. He didn't feel so anxious now that the rangers were taking some action. He thought he just might be able to catch a few Z's before heading out the next morning.

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To be continued…

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	5. Race to Rescue

Disclaimer: Please see chapter one.

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Warnings: Overall Rating of PG.

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A Note From the Author: If you're reading this… Thank-you! I appreciate it! Comments welcome. ~Sapphire

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The Real Adventures of Jonny Quest

Continental Divide

By: Sapphire

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Chapter Five: Race to Rescue

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Timetable: Day Seven

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Jessie woke up with a headache. As she sat up she found she had also woken up with a back ache and a muscle ache and a stomach ache, in fact, she ached all over. She gave a soft groan as she sat up in the crisp morning air. Maggie was still sound asleep on one side of her, and Ryan was lying awake on the other.

"Good morning, Sunshine," Ryan said in a mocking tone when he saw her grimacing face, "Don't we look chipper this morning."

"Ha, ha," Jessie said flatly. She was not in a joking mood right then. She ignored his silent laughter and went outside. As the flap fell closed behind her, the first thing she did was stand up straight and tall and stretch her whole body. "Owww," she groaned as her stiff muscles protested at her movement.

"I know what you mean," Scott said to her. He was kneeling beside the fire, stirring what looked like red oatmeal. "I felt the same way when I got up."

"What is _that_?" Jessie asked, eyeing the concoction in the cooking pot.

"Raspberry oatmeal," Scott informed her. "I found the raspberry bushes yesterday when I went to clean the fish. I forgot all about them with the river incident and the pit thing. I remembered this morning. So I picked some for breakfast. It smells pretty good, and it doesn't taste half bad."

Jessie eyed the oatmeal with a weary sigh. She wasn't so sure. It did smell good to her, so she decided to try it. She dipped a finger in and licked the hot oatmeal from her finger. She was pleasantly surprised.

"You were right. Not half bad," she said. Scott laughed.

"Told you so," he teased.

Mick appeared just then, carrying a stack of firewood. Blain was coming from the other direction, carrying a pail of water to boil for the canteens. Jessie waved a greeting, then bent over one of the packs and started pulling out the odd collection of dishes they used at mealtimes.

While she dished out oatmeal, Mick and Scott carried Ryan from the shelter. Maggie followed them. The thought of a hot breakfast had lured her from her slumbers. The young people dug in with relish.

"Let's see," Maggie said as she and Scott and Ryan discussed the day's agenda over steaming oatmeal, "We'll need fish for lunch and supper. We can go berry picking in the berry patch Scott found. Fruit is a welcome change. And, of course, there is the ever present need for more firewood..." She sighed.

"There are a few branches that need to be secured better in the ceiling in the shelter," Ryan said. "I noticed them when I was lying awake this morning." Scott and Maggie both nodded. That would be easy enough to take care of.

"We keep getting little rain showers in the night, and everyone is sick of sitting on the wet and muddy ground," Scott commented. "I thought we could haul a fallen tree or two over by the fire for us to sit on." Maggie nodded.

"That shouldn't be too much work in all," Maggie said. "It won't even take up half the day."

"We'll think of things to do," Ryan said. "If all else fails, I remember someone saying something about a deck of cards in one of the packs. We could always make use of it."

"We'll figure it out later," Maggie said as she finished up her oatmeal. "How about we go find that log you were talking about?" She looked up at Scott. Scott nodded, and they got up to start on the day's work. Ryan waved Jessie and Blain over to inform them what was going on while Mick listened in as he cleaned up the breakfast dishes.

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Race hiked along the trial with a fresh pack on his back. It only carried essential things, everything in it was designed especially for rescue purposes, and it was all light weight. He was traveling with eight other people. These eight men and women were rangers, all trained for just such situations. They had walkie-talkies to communicate with each other, and a radio for contacting Lt. Simms who was back at headquarters manning the entire complex operation. Race had to laugh at their one mistake, however. All of the young people on the rescue team lacked real experience. Each and every one of them expected the rescue mission to go just as they happened in practice scenarios. Race knew better. He knew to expect things to go wrong.

Race looked at his watch. They had been on the trial for hours, ever since the faintest light could be seen on the eastern horizon. They planned to push hard that day and travel as far as they could. When someone is in trouble, time is of the essence.

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Leaving Ryan in camp, the others wandered into the woods to look at suitable logs to use for the proposed benches. Jessie found the biggest tree trunk any of them had seen in the area. It was about two feet in diameter, and it was a good ten feet long. Mick looked at it and immediately shook his head. It would be far too heavy to move.

"Why do you always disagree with me?" Jessie demanded hotly. "What do you know anyway?"

"Jess," Maggie said, picking her way through the brush. "Mick's right. That thing must weigh a ton. We could never move it."

"But it isn't as heavy as it looks. The middle is hollow, but it's sturdy. We could at least try it. This log is perfect, just what we're looking for," Jessie persuaded. Maggie took a better look, and sure enough, the trunk was completely void of a middle. She nodded in thought before speaking.

"Okay, Jess. We'll give it a shot," she said. "Hey, guys! Over here!" she shouted to Scott and Blain. They made their way through the trees at Maggie's call.

"What do you think?" Jessie asked after they had had a chance to inspect the log themselves.

"It's the best so far," Blain said. Scott nodded. So, Blain, Jessie, Mick, Scott, and Maggie attempted to move it back to camp.

"This isn't going to work," Scott said plainly. "It's too heavy." Mick gave Jessie one of those I-told-you-so looks, and her temper flared.

"There's got to be some way of moving it," Jessie declared. "Maybe we could chop it in half or something."

"Yeah, that'll work," Mick said mockingly.

"I think maybe Jess is right," Blain said hopefully. "We have the hatchet. It's not like the log is solid. We should be able to do it, and then we can haul the two halves. I think it'll work."

"At the very least it'll keep us busy the rest of the morning," Scott agreed. "I think it'll work." Now Jessie gave Mick that I-told-you-so look. Maggie ran back to camp to get the hatchet, and handed it to Scott when she returned.

"Jess," she said, noting the animosity between the red head and the Aussie. Maggie knew it was time to split those two up or they would have a Jessie/Jonny sized fight on their hands. "I think we should go pick some of those raspberries Scott found. We can have them for lunch."

"Good idea," Scott said, glad somebody had thought of a way to get Jessie and Mick out of each other's hair for a while. "You go pick, and we'll stay here and hack." Maggie laughed and pulled Jessie back toward camp as quickly as she could.

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…...

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As she and Jessie picked raspberries, Maggie decided part of the reason for Mick and Jessie's arguing was that she and Jessie needed some time away from the guys. Raspberry picking was the first thing that came to mind to get them away, and she had been extremely grateful when Scott had seconded her suggestion without a second thought. It was just a bit on the miraculous side that Jessie had agreed without a fight. She was about to realize there was nothing miraculous about it. Jessie had an ulterior motive in going along with Maggie's idea.

"I know you said you didn't want to talk about it the other night, but I thought you might feel differently today about telling me what's been up with you lately," Jessie said breaking a long, work induced silence. Maggie's mood changed abruptly, and rather drastically.

"I still don't," Maggie said shortly.

"Why not?" Jessie asked. "You tell me practically everything, except stuff about your mom. You only talk to Jonny about that. I can see why, I'm not jealous. But, if he were here, would you tell him about whatever this is?"

"No," Maggie told her firmly. "I don't want to discuss it." Jessie frowned.

"Well, whatever it is, it's eating you up, and I hate seeing you like that. You're going to have to tell someone sometime. The sooner you do, the sooner someone can help you. I wish you'd just tell me," Jessie said matter-of-factly.

"I can't tell you, Jessie," Maggie said. "I have to deal with it myself first, then maybe I'll say something. No matter who I tell, they can't fix it. What I _am_ going to tell you is that I'm unhappy right now. I'm going to need some time to figure things out and move on. I know everyone is worried, but I'll be fine, really." Jessie looked at Maggie's pained face a few moments then decided that whatever was bothering Maggie, she just had to do what Maggie asked, and give her time and space. No matter how much she wanted to help, it was clear that Maggie didn't want help right now, and Jessie resigned herself to that fact despite how wrong it felt to her. They finished picking in silence, then headed back to camp.

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…...

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When Jessie and Maggie arrived back in camp, the guys had a surprise for them. The hollow log, now in two halves, was in camp positioned around the fire pit. The girls sat down to try them out, and the guys joined them after all their effort. If they crowded really close together, they all fit. The novelty of a bench kept them occupied through lunch, but they eventually got bored of it.

"I'd like to go fishing," Ryan stated to the group. "I haven't done anything all day, and I'm completely bored."

"Why not," Jessie said. "I'll go with you. I don't want to fish, but I can do a little exploring. Who knows what I'll find." Ryan shrugged, glad that someone, at least, wanted to go with him. Jessie grabbed one of the fishing lines and the baggie of worms while Scott and Mick each picked up an end of the stretcher. They carried him off downstream while Ryan was on the lookout for a good fishing hole.

"How about this spot?" Ryan asked after they had been slowly walking for a while. Jessie surveyed the vicinity and shrugged.

"Looks like as good a spot as any," she said. "Go ahead and drop your line. Don't mind me." Ryan, aided by Scott and Mick, sat on a mound of dirt by the river. Jessie gave him the fishing gear, then wandered off into the woods for a look around. Scott and Mick headed back to camp after telling Jessie to come get them when Ryan was ready to go back.

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…...

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Maggie felt bored for the first time on the entire trip. There was nothing to do that really needed doing. A large stack of wood now sat between the new benches. The shelter was tidy, all repair work done. Ryan was busy catching supper, and they wouldn't need to cook it for a while. There was plenty of drinking water in the canteens. The two packs were in good order. Camp was organized, everything was in it's place.

"I'm going for a walk," Maggie said standing up with a sigh. "I'm tired of sitting here doing nothing. Anyone want to join me?" Mick shook his head.

"I'd probably find a way to twist my ankle again," he said. "It's almost healed. I don't want to risk it."

"My shoulder hurts less if I don't move around much," Blain said. "I got these cards from your pack. Mind if Mick and I use them?" He held up the deck for her to see.

"Go ahead," Maggie said. "Hey Scott, you up for a hike?"

"Sure," he said, rising from his seat. "You going downstream to meet up with Jessie and Ryan?" he asked.

"No," Maggie said shaking her head. "We've all been that way several times. I thought I'd go upstream. New territory and all."

"You came from that way a few days ago," Scott reminded.

"I couldn't see much in the dark," Maggie pointed out. Scott laughed, then grabbed a canteen before following her toward the river.

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…...

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Race rested on a big tree root that stretched along the side of the trail. They had made considerable progress that day. He was almost surprised at how fast they were traveling- almost. He took another drink from his canteen. As his body relaxed, his mind was going a mile a minute. He was calculating how far they had come, and how far they had yet to go.

He figured they would make it to the cliff by the next day, though they would reach it quite late. He felt an enormous relief thinking he would be with Jessie and Maggie the next day. He did, however, considered the fact that the girls might not be there. He had been thinking a lot, and realized that they had very little food and water with them, especially when it would have to feed six people for so long, and there wasn't much to be found up there by the cliff. He knew Jessie and Maggie had sense enough to find their own food and water, and knew it was quite possible they were camped either at the river or along some stream between the river and the cliff.

He figured the distance between the two points could not be more than a half day of hard walking. Therefore, two days at most before the rescue party reached them. Only two days. Race liked the sound of that. Two days wasn't so long. They could last until then. He knew they could. But he still worried about Jessie- alone with those college boys.

As the rescue party got under way again, there was a renewed strength to Race's step. He moved faster. With each new step, he was that much nearer to his little girl.

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…...

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Ryan had managed to catch himself a couple of fish. He decided he had had enough, and called to Jessie to tell her he was ready to go. At first, he didn't get a response, but after shouting a couple more times, he finally got an answer.

"What do you need?" Jessie called back from the woods.

"I'm ready to go anytime you are," he called back.

"Okay. Just give me a minute. I smell something funky and I want to know what it is," Jessie called. "I think I'm getting close." Ryan sat up tall, waiting patiently, gazing into the trees trying to catch a glimpse of red hair.

"What kind of smell is it?" Ryan asked. Whatever it was, he couldn't smell it from the river.

"Not very pleasant," Jessie's voice was muffled. Ryan caught a glimpse of her, and she had the sleeve of her sweatshirt pulled over her hand, and she was covering her nose and mouth trying to lessen the smell. "I think some kind of animal died around here." Ryan laughed.

"Then let the poor thing rest in peace, and go get Scott and Mick. I want to get out of here," Ryan called.

"I want to know what it is," Jessie persisted. Suddenly a scream pierced the air. Ryan was instantly seized by fear, imagining all kinds of awful things happening to Jessie as he sat there unable to go and help her. He continued to watch her and saw Jessie turn to run, then trip over some trailing vine on the ground. "Oh, God," Ryan heard her say as she ripped at the plant and picked herself up. She ran out of the trees to the river, then dropped down on all fours and promptly lost the contents of her stomach.

"Hey, are you going to be okay?" Ryan asked leaning forward towards her. He handed her a bandanna from his pocket to dry her face after splashing herself with the cold water to clean herself up. "What happened?" Ryan put a reassuring hand on her shoulder as she leaned heavily against the mound of dirt Ryan sat on.

"I- I-" Jessie faltered before she was interrupted.

"What happened? I heard Jessie scream," Blain said in a gasping breath as he and Mick ran into the clearing.

"I'm not sure," Ryan said, "Something scared Jessie, and whatever it was made her sick."

"What was it?" Mick asked. He, Blain and Ryan looked directly at Jessie. She managed to stand on relatively steady legs with a hand up from Blain. She took a deep breath and turned to look at Ryan before speaking.

"That thing I smelled- I found it," she said seriously.

"What is it?" Ryan asked.

"It's a _person_," she said. "Some animal has been at the corpse, and it's decomposing." Jessie shuddered at the memory of it, and held her stomach, feeling sick again. Ryan made her sit down, letting her rest her head on his good knee. He made eye contact with Blain. It was evident by his grim expression that they were thinking the same thing.

"I wonder if-" Mick started, then stopped mid sentence, not wanting to utter the possibility.

"She was over there when I saw her running out of the woods," Ryan said pointing. Blain ran off into the trees to take a look for himself. Ryan, Mick, and Jessie waited until he finally came back from the woods.

"It's Steve Murphy," Blain said, looking rather ill himself. "It's hard to tell, but he's wearing the same clothes." They fell into a silence and just looked at one another. "Well, there isn't anything we can do for him," Blain finally said. "He's too scattered around to bury properly."

"And we should probably leave him there for the authorities," Ryan added. "That lying, swindling-"

"Let's not be so hard on him," Mick cut Ryan off. "The man's dead. He paid his price." Ryan calmed down and nodded.

"Why don't we head back to camp?" Blain suggested. Jessie, Mick, and Ryan nodded. Blain retrieved the fish Ryan had caught, and picked up the line and the baggie of worms. Jessie and Mick helped Ryan onto the stretcher, picked it up, and they headed for camp.

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…...

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Scott and Maggie had wandered away from the river following one of the feeder streams into the woods. The stream had eventually led them to a large ravine in the forest. Maggie guessed it to be about thirty feet across and a good fifteen feet at its deepest point. The Ravine looked as though it had been cut through the bedrock by thousands of years of spring melt water rushing down the mountain to the river. A running brook was all that remained of the torrents of water that had been there but a few months before. The bottom was littered with all kinds of things left behind.

"Let's go treasure hunting," Maggie said with excitement. "Maybe we'll find fossils or geodes."

"I'm game," Scott said. "Are we climbing down there?" Maggie nodded.

"Unless you aren't up to it," Maggie said teasingly. "It's a whole fifteen feet."

"We'll see who gets down there first," Scott challenged her to a race.

"Hurry up," Maggie said, scrambling for the edge. "You're wasting time and I'm in the lead!"

"No fair, I didn't say go!" Scott started down, picking a path several feet away from her.

Maggie concentrated hard on her climbing, thankful it wasn't a vertical wall. She only had one arm to support herself with, thanks to a certain mountain lion she knew. Scott was quickly gaining on her, and she looked over noticing he was not being very choosy about his hand and footholds.

"Slow down," Maggie cautioned him.

"Why? Because I might win?" he teased.

"No, because you might fall," she replied.

"I'm not going to fall," Scott said confidently. "I never fall." Just as those words left his mouth, his foothold gave out on him. All his weight on it, Scott went down, falling the final distance to the bottom of the ravine. He landed heavily on his right side, the back of his shoulder making the first contact with the ground. A large rock abruptly stopped him as he crashed sideways into it.

"Scott!" Maggie called out. "Are you okay?" She received no answer. He was sprawled out, unmoving, on the ground below. She prayed he hadn't gone and killed himself. Maggie, ignoring her own well-being, removed her left arm from its sling and lowered herself down as fast as she could.

A minute later Maggie was at Scott's side. "Scott, can you hear me?" she asked when he appeared to be unconscious. Scott's eyelids flickered, and his eyes opened. He looked right up at her. "Are you okay?" she asked.

"I- I think so," Scott said with a slow nod of his head. "I got the wind knocked out of me is all." He looked up at her through squinting eyes. "I think it's a little more than fifteen feet, though." Maggie gave a glimmer of a smile.

"Hold still, okay?" Maggie said collecting her thoughts. "I want you to slowly move what I say to move when I say so. But if it hurts, don't move it." Scott nodded. "We'll start with your head. Can you turn it side to side and nod up and down?" Scott demonstrated the motions with no difficulty. "Did you hit your head when you fell?" Maggie asked.

"No," Scott said. "I landed on my side."

"Okay. Now, move your shoulders and arms for me. Slowly please." Scott did, but he felt sore when he moved his shoulder. "Does that hurt?" Maggie asked when she saw his grimacing face.

"Yeah. Maybe I bruised it," Scott answered.

"Or worse," Maggie told him. "Now, take a deep breath and let it out." Scott made a good show of attempting this, but it was clear to Maggie that it was painful for him. "Now move your legs. Flex your ankles and bend your knees." Again, he had no trouble. "Good. You can sit up now. Careful." She helped support him as he raised his upper half off of the ground. "How does that feel?"

"Not too bad," Scott replied. "My side hurts, and my shoulder. I don't think I broke anything, though."

"We'll see. Lift up your shirt if you will," Maggie requested. Scott did. Maggie looked him over, searching for telltale signs of serious injury. "A couple of new nasty bruises, that's for sure," Maggie said. "Your shoulder is otherwise fine, but you might have a cracked rib."

"Fix me up, then," Scott said. "I was beginning to feel left out. I'm the only one without some kind of bandage. I guess it's about time I joined the ranks."

"You sound happy to be included in that group. I would rather not belong to that club. Besides, I have enough trouble with the other members. I didn't exactly need another bandage case," Maggie said. She untied the sweatshirt from around her waist and folded it some before carefully wrapping it tightly around his chest. "Well, that's the best I can do. I don't have anything else to work with."

"That it?" Scott asked.

"Yep. Just take it slow and be careful. Watch those ribs. Don't make any sudden movements. And hardest of all, try not to hurt yourself any more until we can get you to a doctor." Maggie shook her head in disbelief. At this point, every one of them needed to be checked out by a doctor, and half of them would probably require a stay at the hospital.

"Are we going to stay here and rest a while?" Scott asked her, bringing her back from her thoughts. She nodded. "Good," he said and settled himself more comfortably on the ground.

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…...

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Jessie, Ryan, Mick, and Blain arrived back at camp. "Where's Maggie and Scott?" Jessie asked as her eyes darted around the area seeking out the other two members of the group.

"Not here," Mick answered. "They went for a hike right after we took you and Ryan downstream. They aren't back yet, but they've got a while before dark."

"In the mean time, what are we going to do about Murphy? Do you think maybe we should go back and bury him after all?" Blain said. "It would be the decent thing to do."

"I don't think so," Ryan said. "Not now anyway. We should probably wait for Maggie and Scott to get back before we decide that. It wouldn't do much good anyway. Scavengers have already found him." They were silent for a few moments. "It's too bad, though. I hope he didn't suffer long."

"He probably died of exposure that first night," Jessie hypothesized. "It was cold and dark, and he was wet. I doubt he lived half the night." They stood there looking at each other, unsure what to say. One thing was clear though. They were all thinking the same thing. It was too late for Steve Murphy, but was it too late for them?

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…...

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"Let me see that rock you found," Scott said sitting on the edge of the ravine. After he had rested, he and Maggie had begun the arduous task of climbing up out of the ravine. Upon reaching the top safely, they decided they required another rest after the exertion.

"Sure," Maggie said handing him the smooth stone.

"What is this again?" he asked.

"Rose Quartz," she answered, looking at the pretty crystallized stone the shade of the pink sky at twilight. "I've never seen a piece that clear before. This one is perfect. Not a single impurity, as far as I can tell."

"What are you going to do with it?" Scott asked curiously.

"Give it to my uncle. He's a scientist and will appreciate the gift." Maggie sighed and Scott handed the piece of quartz back to her. "Let's get moving or we won't make it back by dark," Maggie said.

Maggie helped Scott up, then they started walking. Scott found that he needed to lean on Maggie a little for support. His side ached and it was hard for him to keep up with her. It hurt him to breathe deeply, and getting winded was hard to endure. They had to stop and rest periodically before moving on again.

"Strange how things have a way of turning around on you," Maggie said with a laugh upon reaching the river. Scott, still leaning on her, looked down at her inquisitively. "As I recall, a week ago you were helping me toward camp along this very same path. It's almost like _de ja vous_."

"Yeah," Scott said. "Or maybe it means something. I don't believe in coincidence."

"Oh yeah?" Maggie asked. "And what might that be?" Scott didn't get the chance to answer her. He stumbled over a root sticking up in the middle of the path. Maggie managed to catch him before he fell. Scott's gaze caught hers and their eyes locked for long moment, arms still wrapped around one another. Scott slowly leaned forward and kissed her.

"Scott, no," Maggie said, turning away from him once she realized what was going on between them. Scott backed away with uneasiness.

"What? What did I do?" he asked. "Did I do something wrong?" He wasn't sure what was happening. One minute they were being magnetically drawn together, mouths locked together, the next she was pushing him away.

"It's not you," she said shaking her head. "It's this whole thing. It's wrong."

"You have a boyfriend? Is that it?" Scott asked seriously. "I didn't know. I'm sorry."

"Nooo," Maggie said, drawing out the word. "It's just- complicated."

"Complicated?" Scott said with a quizzical look. "You either have a boyfriend, or you don't."

"I don't, but I'm in love with someone else," Maggie said.

"Does he love you?" Scott wanted to know.

"I used to think so," Maggie replied. "But now-"

"But what?" Scott asked. "Either he does or her doesn't."

"Everything is so black and white with you, isn't it?" Maggie said. "Well, it's not that way in this case."

"Then explain it to me," Scott said. "I'm not going to go away unless you have a really good reason for me to get lost." Maggie could tell he was serious.

"I haven't seen him since last winter. He loved me then, I know," she began.

"Where did he go?" Scott asked.

"He's in the Air Force. He was sent to a base in Germany." Scott nodded in understanding. He remained quiet, waiting for Maggie to continue. "Then about six weeks ago he started talking about this girl Claudia in his e-mail and in online chats. I didn't think much about it until he said she was his girlfriend." Tears came to her eyes, despite how hard she tried to keep them from showing. "I don't understand what happened."

"If you ask me, he's an idiot if he let you go," Scott said honestly. "I don't see why you don't just forget about him." Maggie wiped her tear dampened cheek.

"There's no rhyme or reason why you love the people you love. All I know is that I love him, and I'll never stop." She smiled ruefully to herself. "Jessie's been trying to find that out for days. She'd flip if she knew all you did was ask once and I told you everything. Don't say anything to her, okay? She knows him, and she'd tell me it's nothing. She'll find out soon enough. I don't want to face the looks of pity and false hope just yet."

"You really love him, don't you?" Scott asked, amazed. "I don't see how." Maggie shrugged. "We can still be friends, though, right?"

"You bet," Maggie said, "And promise me you won't say anything."

"I promise," Scott said. They didn't say anything more about it. They started walking toward camp again, intent on getting there before nightfall.

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…...

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To be continued…

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	6. Heading Home

Disclaimer: Please see chapter one.

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Warnings: Overall Rating of PG.

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A Note From the Author: You know, I really liked the fraternity guys I wrote for this story- Blain, Scott, Ryan, and Mick- two of whom are based on people I know, and one named after my favorite dog. I liked them so much, they'll appear in more stories down the road. For now, though, I leave you with the final chapter in "Continental Divide". ~Sapphire

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The Real Adventures of Jonny Quest

Continental Divide

By: Sapphire

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Chapter Six: Heading Home

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…...

Maggie and Scott got back just as dusk was turning into dark. The others were relieved to see them when they appeared from the direction of the river. They both found a seat on one of the benches and took a much needed rest.

"What happened to you?" Blain asked once Scott and Maggie got some supper in them.

"I fell into a ravine and probably broke a rib," Scott said. "No big deal. Just took us longer to get back than we thought." He shrugged and took a long drink from the canteen to wash his fish down.

"Don't make is sound less than it is," Maggie chastised.

"I know, I know," Scott said. Maggie gave him a disapproving glare. Scott tried hard to ignore that look but couldn't help but squirm a little. He changed the subject to take the attention off of him. "Anything interesting happen around here while we were gone?"

"Sort of," Mick said in a very exaggerated tone.

"I take it there was a little excitement," Scott said.

"Jessie found Murphy," Ryan said, "at least what was left of him."

"He's dead?" Scott asked seriously. "Where was he?"

"Down along the river. He was off the path in the trees a ways," Blain said. "We must have walked right by him several times. There was no way we could have noticed him. He's well hidden."

"No way you can miss him now," Jessie said. "His corpse reeks." She shuddered. She'd seen dead people before, but none had ever been in that state before. Partially eaten by scavengers and insects and in some putrefied stage of decomposition. She felt sick. "I don't want to talk about this anymore," she said.

"Neither do I," Maggie agreed. "We've had so many close calls, I'm amazed none of us are in the same state as him. I don't even want to consider it being one of us. None of you should, either."

"We only have to hang on for a few more days," Mick said lightly. "Jessie's dad should be here soon. If we don't wander far we should survive until then."

"We made it this far, we can keep going," Ryan said optimistically.

The young people enjoyed the campfire and the clear night. "_And why shouldn't we?_" Jessie thought. "_We'll be going home soon._" For a rare moment they had some genuine fun without anything going wrong to interrupt it.

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…...

Timetable: Day Eight

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The day was proving to be beautiful indeed. They had awoken to warm sunshine, and by lunch the temperature had climbed to a hot eighty-six degrees by the clip-on thermometer hanging off Jessie's pack. At some point during the morning, each of them had changed out of their jeans and into shorts. It was a definite improvement, but it did not keep them cool for long.

"This heat is driving me insane," Jessie complained as she lay in the shade provided by the shelter.

"Can't we go swimming?" Mick whined. "The river is down now."

"I _would_ like to wash my hair again," Maggie said. She looked at Jessie. "What do you think?"

"It sounds like heaven," she replied, fanning herself with a leaf she'd pulled from a tree.

"What are we sitting around talking about it for?" Scott asked. "Let's just go." The next second there was a flurry of activity, running around getting stuff together. Jessie and Maggie quickly changed into their bathing suits. When they came out of the shelter, the others were ready to go and they headed for the river.

Jessie, Mick, and Scott washed all the sweatshirts and long jeans. Jessie and Maggie had decided that going four days in the same clothes may have been necessary, but today was an ideal opportunity to rectify that situation. As they finished up with the laundry, and all the clothes were set out to dry, Ryan water-proofed Maggie's arm for swimming.

"We ready for a dip?" Blain asked, readjusting his sling. The only answer he got was a lot of splashing as the others made their way into the river. "Guess so," he said, then joined them.

Maggie retrieved the shampoo and soap from shore, and everyone stood in the waist deep water and scrubbed their hair, rationing out the remainder of the cleaning agents. Ryan made a trip into the water with the help of Jessie and Blain. "Hey! I'm floating!" he shouted when he realized he could do so without aid.

"Get back here," Jessie called as he began to float off on the current. "You can wander with the fish after I wash your hair." Ryan used his arms to propel himself back toward Jessie and his cousin. He enjoyed himself thoroughly, especially the part about getting clean hair.

"Ow! Ow! I got soap in my eye!" Mick howled, floundering around in the water.

"Rinse it out with water," Maggie told him with a laugh. She couldn't help herself. He was such a big baby, hopping around like a baboon.

"How? All the water around here is soapy," he complained.

"Move upstream," Jessie told him, joining in Maggie's laughter. Blain pulled Ryan up so he could watch Mick's incredibly slap-stick display. After a good laugh, and after Mick had managed to wash the soap from his eyes with Scott's help, they ignored Mick's further complaining.

The group spent the next couple of hours in and out of the water. They lounged, basking in the sunlight, on the riverbank when they weren't swimming, and they chased each other and jumped off rocks, splashing and laughing when they were in the water. The highlight of the afternoon having been a harmless prank Mick and Ryan played on Jessie, involving some dried oatmeal and a nearby ant colony.

As the afternoon grew late, the group was thinking about collecting all their things and heading back to camp. "One more swim," Mick said heading for the water. "Get wet one last time. We still have several hours before dark, and we have dry clothes to change into." No one argued with that. Back into the water they all went for another round of tag. They made a lot of noise in their game, but above it all, Mick could discern a call of real distress. "Jessie?!" he shouted. "Jessie, are you hurt?" He splashed his way toward shore where Jessie stood in knee-deep water.

"I got stung by a bee," she said, wavering slightly from side to side.

"Jessie, are you going to faint?" Mick ran up and caught hold of her, holding her up.

"I don't think so," her speech was slurred and slower than normal.

"Jessie!" Maggie shouted when she saw the commotion. "What happened?" she came as fast as she could through the water to her friend.

"Bee..." Jessie said with some difficulty.

"Can you breathe okay?" Maggie asked next. Jessie nodded slowly, then shook her head. "Mick, carry her to shore and keep her airway as open as possible. I'm going to go get her medicine." Maggie ran up the bank and toward camp as fast as she could, trusting Mick to take care of Jessie until she could get back.

Upon reaching the trees suspending the packs, she grabbed the rope and pulled, letting the two packs crash to the ground. Tearing into Jessie's pack, she dumped it out on the ground, needing the kit as soon as she could get it. She couldn't waste time searching. Spying it among the makeshift dishes, she grabbed it and ran back to the river as if the devil were after her.

"What's wrong with her?" Mick asked when Maggie came into view. He was evidently very concerned for Jessie. Scott and Blain were on the bank, standing over Jessie, and Ryan was propped up against a rock nearby, straining to see beyond his friends.

"Anaphylactic shock," Maggie said kneeling down and opening the little kit she held in her hand. "Jess is allergic to bee stings." Maggie pulled out the little sterile syringe with the pre filled dosage and the sterilizing cloth from the kit. "Avert your eyes please," Maggie said to the guys. They all did as they were told while Maggie administered the shot. "You can look now," she said when all was done.

"It's starting to work," Jessie said. Maggie could feel Jessie's pulse begin to slow. Her rapid breathing and dilated pupils were also returning to normal. "I think I brushed it off before it could put too much venom in my system," Jessie said. Maggie was glad to see her speech was clearing up.

"Okay. Things are going good. We got the Epinepherine into you in time. Just lay here a while and rest. Let the shot do its work," Maggie said with a relieved sigh, "and hopefully no complications develop." Jessie nodded, and allowed Maggie and Scott to help her over to the rock Ryan was making use of. Jessie leaned against the rock on the left side of Ryan.

"I'll watch her," Ryan said as the others stood there wondering what to do next. "I'll let you know if she starts getting short of breath again," he said to Maggie. Maggie nodded, and found a spot on the bank to sit with her feet in the water. The group broke up then, and spread out either swimming or sunbathing.

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…...

Race was exhausted. He had been walking for days and had covered the same ground three times. Up the mountain, down the mountain, back up the mountain; he'd been extremely happy the night before when he and the rescue party had come to the cliff the girls had descended into the forest below. But upon their arrival, there wasn't a trace of either girl having been there any time recently. Nor were they camped anywhere below that could be seen from the top of the cliff.

Race was reassured by one of the rangers that there wasn't anything to worry over. "The kids aren't here, but that doesn't mean anything has happened to them. They're most likely camped out in the valley somewhere. It's too dark to see any smoke, but if those kids are as smart as you say, I'll bet they're down there somewhere sitting in front of a blazing fire." Race knew she was right. He had guessed they wouldn't be at the cliff, even though he had really hoped they would. There was nothing up there for them to survive on.

So, they had repelled down the cliff in the dark using portable lighting, then they had put together a camp at the base of the wall. At daybreak, they were leaving camp, heading for the river, following the telltale signs that Jessie had left behind. Race felt a strong, unbidden pride in his daughter. She had done a good job, and they were moving quickly in the right direction thanks to her.

By noon the rescue party had reached the river. They headed downstream, following the riverbank as closely as they could. It had been hours now, and Race was beginning to wonder where they could all be. He knew they couldn't have passed them by, it was hard to miss signs of human presence when six people were involved.

As they came around a bend in the waterway, Race could hear the faint sounds of voices. Anticipation among the group of searchers was high and they hurried themselves onward. As he cleared the trees, Race felt overwhelming relief when he saw Jessie and Maggie alive, lounging near the water. He and the rest of the rescue party stopped and watched a moment, glad to see all six were present and accounted for.

Race watched Jessie closely until she finally looked up at him. "Dad!" she exclaimed when she realized she wasn't imagining it. The others immediately looked in the direction of Jessie's gaze.

"Race!" Maggie called out joyfully, glad that she didn't have to worry anymore. Race was beside the girls before anyone could blink, and he pulled Jessie up off the ground, enveloping her in a huge hug. "As my cousin Jonny would say," Maggie said to Mick, Ryan, Blain, and Scott, "the cavalry has arrived."

A frenzy of activity ensued. The rescue personnel swarmed the young people asking questions and looking at injuries. Ranger Headquarters was called, and helicopters were sent to air lift everyone out of the valley and take them to the nearest hospital for treatment. It would take them some time to get there, however.

"She got stung by a bee a little bit ago," Ryan was telling Race in explanation as to why Jessie was so weak and fatigued. "Maggie gave her that shot, and she's doing better now." Race wouldn't leave his daughter's side, overprotective as he was. The others decided against telling him that Jessie nearly drown the other day. It could wait until later.

They left the river as the sun disappeared behind one of the mountain peaks. The damp young people were getting chilled and they wanted a fire as they waited for their transportation out of there. Most of the Rangers were impressed with what they had done to keep themselves going when they saw the elaborate set up of their camp.

Maggie, Jessie, and the guys put on warmer clothes, while two of the rangers started up a fire and began preparing food for everyone. None of the six kids knew exactly what to tell the rescue party about what had gone on in the last week. Some things would never be mentioned to anyone else, others, like finding the body of Steve Murphy, needed to be told. By the time they had eaten a filling meal of stew, they had gotten through the story of their survival from beginning to end, the parts about firewood, shelter, fishing, berry picking, and the like- the tame stuff. As supper was being cleaned up, they could hear the first helicopter in the distance.

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…...

The emergency room doctors were ready and waiting upon the arrival of the first load of people coming in from the mountains. Ryan, Blain, and Jessie were taken immediately to the hospital in the first helicopter. The leader of the rescue team decided they had the most imminent danger associated with their injuries and so they were the first to be airlifted out. Upon arrival at the hospital, they were immediately taken into charge and treated. All three were resting comfortably in rooms when Maggie, Scott, and Mick arrived. The doctors insisted on keeping all of them overnight for observation, in case there were things they had missed or didn't know about. Race checked himself into a nearby hotel and got himself a good night's sleep for a change.

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…...

Timetable: Day Nine

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By ten o'clock the next morning, they had all been released from the hospital. Lt. Simms had showed up with local police to get statements from the young people about Steve Murphy particularly, but other things as well. Once that was over, Race suggested they all go to lunch, his treat. So, they headed to a local cafe and crowded around a couple tables that had been pushed together for them.

"Can I sign your cast first?" Maggie asked Ryan as they were waiting for their food to arrive.

"I wouldn't have it any other way," Ryan told her. "The doctor said you did a great job. If you and Jessie hadn't done the splinting properly, I might have done a lot more damage to my leg." Maggie felt very proud of herself at that moment. Kneeling on the floor next to Ryan, she signed her name neatly on the cast and drew an inverted star next to her name. Adding a stem and two leaves, the inverted star became a daisy.

"Who's next?" she asked standing up. She handed the permanent marker to Jessie then went back to her seat.

"What did they say about you," Scott asked Blain.

"Just that I'd heal all right," Blain said. "They put my shoulder back the way it's supposed to be, and I feel better already. I have to keep my arm in a sling for a while. I don't need surgery, though. That's a plus."

"How's your ankle, Mick?" Maggie asked.

"Fine," he replied. "I'll bet I got out in the best shape of all of us."

"I'll second that," Scott agreed. "I have some nasty bruises, but no cracked ribs after all. I got banged up pretty good just the same. I'll be sore for a few weeks."

"Maggie got the Epinepherine in me in time. No lasting effects of the bee sting," Jessie said. "The cut on my shoulder is healing up nicely. I'm still sore, I mean, come on, I slammed into a rock in the middle of a river. But there's nothing really wrong with me. No concussion. A few days and I'll be as good as new. What about you, Maggie? Was there any infection? I know you were worrying about that."

"Nope," Maggie said shaking her head. "The doctor put me on antibiotics for a week just in case, though. The cuts are healing, no danger of them reopening. I'll have one nasty scar, though."

"What the Sam Hill did you kids _do_ to yourselves out there?" Race asked after sitting there and listening to them discuss their prognoses. The six of them looked to one another for a minute, not sure what to say.

"Dad," Jessie said slowly, "You don't really want to know."

"Yes, I DO," Race said sternly. "What is all this about you, a rock, and a river? And what am I supposed to tell Benton when he sees his niece's arm bandaged and in a sling?" The young people looked to one another again, debating what and how much to tell the man. They didn't get that far when the food arrived.

Once the waitress had left them to themselves, Race demanded again to know what had happened. They told him everything, pointedly downplaying everything, making it seem less serious than it was. Race still wasn't happy about a lot of it.

"Well," Race said as they finished up with their story, "Next time be more careful." That was all he had to say about the whole affair, which surprised Jessie and Maggie to no end.

As they left the restaurant, it was time they parted ways. Scott, Mick, Ryan, and Blain were headed for the airport to catch a flight back to Vermont. Maggie, Jessie, and Race were going to begin the long drive back to Maine. They stood outside in the parking lot, taking their time saying goodbyes.

"Well, Jessie and Maggie, I want to thank you again. If you hadn't seen me, the four of us would be dead about now," Blain said sincerely. "You and your supplies saved our lives."

"It was really a team effort," Jessie said humbly. "We brought the supplies, but you guys had determination and a will to survive. I think you would have made it without us."

"Maybe, but maybe not. Thank you both just the same," said Ryan, throwing an arm around Jessie and giving her an appreciative squeeze. She let him lean on her instead of his crutches, which she knew from experience was a relief to his underarms.

"We'd never turn away someone in trouble. We're just glad it was all of you," Jessie said. They exchanged e-mail addresses and post office addresses so they could keep in touch.

"Hey," Scott said to Maggie when no one was paying attention to them. "I know I promised not to say anything more, but are you sure you want to wait around for that other guy?" Maggie could tell he was in earnest. "You know, all you have to do is say the word and I'm yours."

"I know," Maggie said with a faint smile, "but I'm not going to change my mind." She smiled at him reassuringly. "Besides, I wouldn't be very good for you. There are a lot of things in my past that haunt me, and I don't want to drag you into them."

"What about the other guy? How come you'd drag him into it?" Scott asked. Maggie was surprised at his question, but realized that he wasn't bitter in any way, just curious as to why there was a difference.

"I'm not dragging him into it," Maggie stated simply. "He was there at the start. It's far too complicated to explain." Maggie sighed, then pushed it out of her mind. "I want to see you again, though. The other guys, too. I'll miss all of you." Scott smiled in understanding and nodded.

"Maybe we'll invite you up to Whitehall for a weekend this fall. What do you say to that guys?" Scott asked his friends. They all promised they'd see each other again, and the next time would be in a much safer location. The girls gave their friends farewell hugs, then they got into their separate cars. They waved to one another as they drove away until the two groups were well out of sight of each other.

"I'm glad it's over," Jessie said as they turned onto the interstate, headed for New England.

"Me, too, Ponchita," Race agreed. Father and daughter fell into conversation in the front seat, and didn't really notice the silence from Maggie in the back.

Maggie stared out the window at the mountains that were slowly falling behind them. They were going back, going home. The adventure was over. Her distraction was no more. With every mile that slipped away, her depression was returning. It was time to go home. Time to go back to her every day life. Time to face up to the fact that Price had chosen to be with someone other than her. Time to let her heart finish breaking so it could mend and she could move on. She looked down at the paper in her hand with addresses, e-mails, and phone numbers scribbled all over. She ran a finger over Scott's name. He'd said all she had to do was call. Maybe she would, some day.

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…...

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To be continued in "Day of Reckoning".

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End file.
